Combining kefir and prebiotic fiber reduced inflammation more effectively than omega-3 or fiber alone. Researchers say this pairing could help protect against chronic inflammatory diseases.
A new study led by researchers at the University of Nottingham has revealed that combining specific dietary supplements can provide greater health benefits than taking prebiotics or omega-3 alone. The combined approach was found to more effectively support immune and metabolic function, potentially lowering the risk of diseases associated with chronic inflammation.
Published in the Journal of Translational Medicine, the study showed that a synbiotic — a blend of naturally fermented kefir and a diverse prebiotic fiber mix — delivered the strongest anti-inflammatory response among the three supplement types tested.
How kefir and fiber work together
The kefir and fiber combination, provided by Chuckling Goat Ltd., contains a mixture of naturally occurring probiotic bacteria and yeasts produced through the traditional fermentation of goat’s milk using live kefir grains. These grains are active cultures that contain dozens of beneficial microbial species.
When kefir, which is rich in live beneficial microbes, is paired with a variety of prebiotic fibers (which act as food for those microbes), a synbiotic effect occurs. The fiber helps the microbes flourish and produce compounds such as butyrate, a metabolite known for its anti-inflammatory and immune-regulating properties throughout the body.
Over a six-week period, healthy participants who consumed the synbiotic supplement experienced the most significant overall decrease in inflammation-related proteins compared to those who took omega-3 or fiber alone. The results indicate that combining live microbes with prebiotic fiber may offer a more effective strategy for supporting immune and metabolic health than single-supplement approaches.
Lowering whole-body inflammation and disease risk
Systemic inflammatory markers are signals in the blood that show how much inflammation is happening throughout the body, not just in one specific area, like the gut or an infection. The findings of the study showed that the participants’ overall levels of inflammation across their whole body went down, suggesting an improvement in general immune balance and lower risk for conditions linked to chronic inflammation (like heart disease or other metabolic conditions).
The next stage of the research would be to test the supplements on people with certain conditions to see the effectiveness.
The study was led by Dr Amrita Vijay in the School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham. She said:
“Our study shows that while all three dietary approaches reduced inflammation, the synbiotic — combining fermented kefir with a diverse prebiotic fiber mix — had the most powerful and wide-ranging effects.
“This suggests that the interaction between beneficial microbes and dietary fiber may be key to supporting immune balance and metabolic health.”
Reference: “The anti-inflammatory effects of three different dietary supplement interventions” by Amrita Vijay, Liz Simpson, Melanie Tooley, Sarah Turley, Afroditi Kouraki, Anthony Kelly, Cristina Menni, Josh Armstrong, Shann Jones and Ana M Valdes, 16 October 2025, Journal of Translational Medicine.
DOI: 10.1186/s12967-025-07167-x
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