Sourdough bread is healthier because it’s made somewhat differently than traditional bread. While you don’t need store-bought yeast like traditional bread, sourdough requires a starter made from flour, salt, and water. This combo needs to ferment for a few days to activate the natural yeast and good bacteria.
The cells of your body can become damaged if there are too many free radicals and damage from free radicals has been linked to cancer. Antioxidants scavenge your body to neutralize these free radicals, and the National Cancer Institute says that observational studies have found mixed evidence for antioxidants in reducing cancer.
Even though unfermented whole grains have antioxidants like tocols, phytosterols, and phenolic compounds, it’s this natural fermentation process in sourdough bread that boosts its nutritional value, according to a 2020 article in Molecules. Fermentation breaks down the cell walls of the whole grain to make these antioxidants more available for our bodies to absorb.
The lactic acid bacteria used to ferment flours made from wheat, soybean, barley, amaranth, and rye flours might also release more of the peptide lunasin, according to a 2012 study in Nutrition and Cancer. Lunasin has been used to treat cancer, high cholesterol, and rheumatoid arthritis.