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Leading kefir brand seeks to raise awareness around new gut health research, applauds study linking long-term fermented milk consumption to lower colorectal cancer risk
MORTON GROVE, Ill., March 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Lifeway Foods, Inc. (Nasdaq: LWAY), a leading U.S. supplier of kefir and fermented probiotic products, announced today that Lifeway President and CEO Julie Smolyansky will appear with Katie Couric at the SXSW conference to discuss the company's history, innovations in microbiome research and the importance of gut healthy foods and habits. The event will occur on March 8th at 10:15am at the She Media Lounge, located at 304 East 3rd Street in Austin, TX.
"I am excited to return to SXSW this year to share the Lifeway story and discuss the latest gut health research with Katie Couric, a news industry icon who serves as an inspiration for so many," said Ms. Smolyansky. "SXSW is an amazing venue to explore ideas because the audience is curious and attuned to the current trends in science, culture and the arts. I'm grateful to share the stage with such an influential journalist in this high-profile setting."
An important topic of the discussion will be the rise in colorectal cancer. Lifeway applauds the recent study led by investigators from Mass General Brigham titled, "Long-Term Yogurt Consumption Tied to Decreased Incidence of Certain Types of Colorectal Cancer." The study followed participants for over three decades, revealing that those who consumed two or more servings of fermented dairy per week experienced a 20% reduction in the incidence of colorectal cancer positive for Bifidobacterium. This breakthrough emphasizes the potential role that the live bacterial cultures in fermented milk products, such as kefir and yogurt, may play in supporting gut health and reducing cancer risk.
In the release distributed from Mass General Brigham which highlighted the study's findings, co-senior author of the research Tomotaka Ugai, MD, PhD, of the Department of Pathology at the Brigham and the Department of Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health stated, "it has long been believed that yogurt and other fermented milk products are beneficial for gastrointestinal health. Our new findings suggest that this protective effect may be specific for Bifidobacterium-positive tumors."
"We applaud Dr. Ugai, his co-authors and team of researchers who uncovered this new evidence further supporting the connection between diet, our gut microbiome and various health risks," said Ms. Smolyansky.