20.500.12556/DKUM-97431 Kefir consumption and health effects based on human clinical trials an overview of literature Kefir is a traditional fermented milk beverage characterized by a complex community of lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid bacteria and yeasts that contributes to its unique sensory and nutritional properties. Regular consumption of kefir has been associated with a wide range of potential health benefits. This review aimed to evaluate the available clinical evidence on kefir consumption and its impact on human health. A literature search of the databases PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus was conducted up to 30 August 2025. Eligible studies were human clinical trials investigating kefir as a fermented milk beverage without the addition of defined probiotic strains, prebiotics, or synbiotics. A total of 28 clinical studies were identified and included diverse study designs, such as crossover trials, parallel-group randomized controlled trials, multi-arm trials, early-phase exploratory studies, and pilot studies. Kefir intake showed potential benefits for gut microbiota modulation, metabolic parameters, inflammatory markers, immune function, and gastrointestinal health. However, interpretation of these findings is limited due to substantial heterogeneity in kefir preparation, microbial composition, dosage, intervention duration, study populations, and outcome measures. Consequently, although kefir may offer multiple health benefits, the overall strength of evidence remains limited. Larger, well-designed clinical trials with standardized kefir interventions are needed to better define kefir’s efficacy in specific populations and health conditions. kefir health benefits randomized controlled trials beneficial microbes kefir koristi za zdravje naključni nadzorovani poskusi koristni mikrobi true false true MDPI Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik https://www.mdpi.com/journal/healthcare © 2026 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. Članek v reviji 2026-03-06 03:17:12 2026-03-06 09:53:50 2026-03-09 09:04:30 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 str. 1-26 issue 5, [article no.] 652 Vol. 14 2026 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno apc 2026-01-31 2026-03-02 2026-03-04 637.146.21:613.2 270539779 10.3390/healthcare14050652 2227-9032 healthcare-14-00652.pdf healthcare-14-00652.pdf 1 3B1BF87986E5AB75D095BCA92E6DFE22 bdbd1e94e33c00b04c2fc5db09c3515d1b4d2a32aaff72c404a50fb55d16c090 40f83e7a-1939-11f1-96ca-00155d580e1a https://dk.um.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=204324 https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/14/5/652 1 972864f0-1902-11f1-96ca-00155d580e1a https://dk.um.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=204319 Fakulteta za zdravstvene vede Medicinska fakulteta Fakulteta za elektrotehniko, računalništvo in informatiko 0 0 0