For centuries Bulgarian yoghurt has been used for nutrition as well as for prevention and treatment of diseases. In 1905, after numerous experiments, Stamen Grigorov reported that the fermentation of yoghurt in Bulgaria, de la Bulgarie le Kisselo-mleko, is due to one rod-shaped bacteria and one coccoid bacteria. He observed that yoghurt was somewhat of essential food for the rural population of Bulgaria. At the same time Professor I. Mechnikov advanced the hypothesis that Bulgarian yoghurt has both preventive and therapeutic properties. He believed that the substantial consumption of yoghurt accounted for the slower process of ageing and longevity among the Bulgarians that he had registered in his studies. Since then researchers from various countries have carried out a number if investigations into the healthy effect of Bulgarian yoghurt.
These days there is a trend towards the greater use of food supplements in order to enrich diets with factors that strengthen the immune system and reduce the risk of arteriosclerosis, certain cardiac diseases, and cancer. This approach can potentially become a primary means of prevention. Since yoghurt and yoghurt-based product comprise a substantial proportion of many people’s diets, the purposeful use of Bulgarian yoghurt can play an important role in the prevention and treatment of many contemporary diseases.
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