Fermented Food. Good? Bad? Questionable?

This is an exploratory health study post for me. Well, all of my study posts are, but this one in particular has got me thinking. 

We are told that too much lactic acid is bad and can lead to disease, heart attacks, and even death.  We call this, "lactic acidosis", or too much of a buildup of lactic acid in the bloodstream. 

We are told that lactic acid in fermented foods and as a preservative are good for us. 

We are told that lactic acid is naturally produced by our bodies. 

And then we're told it's not.

Lactic acid. 

Lactate. 

Lactate is described as a bi-product constantly produced in the body during normal metabolism and exercise. 

The two aren't one in the same, it seems, though many use the two terms interchangeably. 

Could it be that too much of the world, including some scientists, are confusing 'lactate', a substance naturally produced by the body, with the  chemical process/ingredient of 'lactic acid' outside of the body?

Could it be that the creation of lactate is a healthy and normal function of the body and lactic acid is actually an unnecessary, and sometimes harmful, material in our natural world when eaten? 

Could it be that some people can absolutely tolerate lactic acid in food, while others get sick and may even die from it? 

Should the entire world be eating fermented foods like saurkraut, yogurt, and even sourdough bread (a reemerging popular trend amongst the health conscious and ancestral seeking crowds), or should some of the world, not? 

Does the fact that it's been part of the human diet for a long time mean that it's always a healthy part of the human diet? 

Is fermented food a superfood that all the natural health experts want us to eat, or is it simply not? For anyone?

Is there a limit to how much each of us can tolerate eating lactic acid. What is the deciding factor and how can we test it out? 

Should we be eating fermented foods and foods preserved with lactic acid in abundance, or should we simply eat these foods as more of a condiment? Have the studies been done? 

Can too much a good thing become.....too much of a good thing? 

I don't have all the answers. 

But I'm deep in thought. 

And as you can see, I have a lot of questions. 

And I've got some hunches. 

What do you think? 

Truly, what do you think?

🤍🤍🤍🤍 🤍🤍🤍 

STUDIES & RESOURCES:

(The studies below are nowhere near an exhaustive list. Always continue your own research and read the papers within each paper below.)

1) Lactic Acidosis

2) Applications of Biotechnology to Fermented Foods: Report of an Ad Hoc Panel of the Board on Science and Technology for International Development.

3) Eating Fermented: Health Benefits of LAB-Fermented Foods

4) Lactate Profile: UC Davis Health: Sports Medicine

5) Lactate, not Lactic Acid, is Produced by Cellular Cytosolic Energy Catabolism

6) Lactate metabolism in human health and disease

🤍🤍🤍🤍 🤍🤍🤍