Consumers globally are increasingly health-conscious and seek out products that can support their dietary and metabolic health needs. Functional food and beverage products formulated to deliver multi-faceted health benefits are in high demand thanks to providing on-the-go nutrition, while supplements continue to be a major driving force in the health and wellness space.
Whether buying food products or taking supplements, consumers expect a similar health-boosting result – but different products work in different ways.
A new clinical trial found that drinking kefir fortified with prebiotic fiber reduced inflammation much more effectively than omega-3 supplements over the same period.
Led by the UK-based University of Nottingham, the study comprised a six-week trial to compare how three solutions – a kefir drink with prebiotic fiber; prebiotic inulin, and omega-3 fatty acids – would impact inflammation.
The three interventions were tested on a small cohort where 20 participants drank kefir; 33 took the omega-3 supplement; 31, the inulin, and 20 others formed a control group.
The kefir was formulated with a 170ml fermented goat milk and 10g prebiotic blend while the omega-3 group received a 500mg supplement mix of EPA and DHA per day.
Even though all three interventions reduced inflammation, the kefir drink was much more effective than the rest.
According to the study, the synbiotic produced significant reductions in seven inflammatory proteins. Importantly, these changes spanned systemic and mucosal immune pathways, suggesting deeper modulation of the gut–immune axis compared to the omega-3 supplement.
The omega-3 solution did produce one major change unlike other interventions: it reduced tumor necrosis factor-alpha, a pro-inflammatory cytokine linked to chronic inflammation.
But overall, the synbiotic kefir drinks was the most effective intervention. In addition, those in the kefir cohort also saw reduced total cholesterol levels, LDL and non-HDL cholesterol, which were not observed in participants taking the omega-3 supplement.
On the other hand, the researchers noted that the supplement’s more modest effects may be down to the study’s duration and the supplement’s low dose. There’s another caveat: the study’s sample size is fairly limited, meaning that the findings should be backed up with future research among a bigger cohort and possibly the need for microbiome sequencing to explain the effects of the synbiotic drink.
“The synbiotic intervention resulted in reductions across a broader range of inflammatory proteins and demonstrated larger effect sizes compared to inulin fibre or omega‑3 supplementation alone, highlighting the potential of fermented foods containing probiotics in regulating the gut‑immune axis,” the authors concluded.
For consumers choosing foods versus supplements for inflammation management, the study suggests that fermented dairy paired with a targeted prebiotic fibre mix offers a more potent anti‑inflammatory effect than standard omega‑3 capsules, reinforcing existing evidence that a diverse gut microbiome and fermentable fibres can outperform isolated nutrients in shaping immune health.
Source:
Vijay, A., Simpson, L., Tooley, M. et al. The anti-inflammatory effects of three different dietary supplement interventions. J Transl Med 23, 1081 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-025-07167-x
