Open Access

This systematic review critically examines existing literature on the effects of spontaneous fermentation on the nutritional and antinutritional properties of the aforementioned food staples, focusing on the changes in nutrients, digestibility, and antinutrients. The literature search flow was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRiSMA-2020) approach. Only peer-reviewed journal articles published in English between 2002 and 2024 were sourced from Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed. A total of 67 articles were considered eligible after the title, abstract, full text, and quality assessment. It was evident from the various studies consulted in this review that traditional fermentation, though being an ancient food processing practice, remains an important approach for increasing the level of nutrients, reducing antinutritional factors, and enhancing the nutrient digestibility of cereals, legumes, roots, tuber, and plantain. This has made fermented foods an important part of diet and nutrition in many cultures around the world, especially in the global south, with limited access to sophisticated food processing techniques and infrastructure. Overall, the findings suggest that incorporating spontaneous fermentation into the preparation of cereals, legumes, roots, and tuber crops can be a valuable strategy for enhancing the nutritional value and health-promoting properties of these dietary staples.

Aim Since unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, risk factors for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), and diseases themselves can independently influence quality of life, lifestyle intervention programs addressing all of these may yield benefits for quality of life. This study aimed to examine the impact of the Healthy Lifestyle Community Program (HLCP-2) on quality of life in adults. Subject and methods Data stem from a 24-month, non-randomized controlled lifestyle program which aimed to improve markers of NCD risk. Overall, 187 participants were assigned to either the intervention group (IG; n = 112) receiving a 10-week intensive lifestyle intervention on plant-based diet, physical activity, stress management, and community support, followed by a 22-month alumni phase, or a control group (CG; n = 75), without intervention. Quality of life was assessed by the EQ-5D-3L questionnaire at six measurement time points. Problems in five health dimensions (“mobility”, “self-care”, “usual activities”, “pain/discomfort,” and “anxiety/depression”), a visual analogue scale on self-rated health (EQ VAS), and the German EQ-5D index were addressed. Results At baseline, 59.8% of the IG and 59.4% of the CG reported problems in ≥ 1 health dimension, with improvement in the IG at all time points. Compared to baseline, the EQ VAS increased significantly in the IG compared to CG at all time points. The mean EQ-5D index tended to improve in the IG, but changes did not differ significantly from changes in the CG. Conclusion A lifestyle community program addressing lifestyle behaviors provides benefits for participants’ self-rated health status, with the greatest effect after the intensive phase. Trial registration German Clinical Trials Register DRKS (reference: DRKS00018775; 12.09.2019; retrospectively registered).