PERSPECTIVE article
Front. Aging
Sec. Healthy Longevity
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fragi.2025.1628474
Kefir and Healthy Aging: Revealing Thematic Gaps through AI-Assisted Screening and Semantic Evidence Mapping
Provisionally accepted
- 1IBBC-CNR, Monterotondo, Italy
- 2CNR, ISTITUTO DI BIOCHIMICA E BIOLOGIA CELLULARE-IBBC, Monterotondo, Italy
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Kefir, fermented milk rich in probiotics, has attracted growing attention for its potential anti-aging effects. Yet, studies specifically addressing kefir in the context of aging remain limited and scattered across diverse biological fields. To overcome this fragmentation, we applied an integrative approach that combines a cutting-edge AI-assisted algorithm for evidence screening with a Python-based semantic clustering pipeline. This allowed us to systematically map and classify the existing literature into four functional domains of aging: changes in body composition, energy balance, homeostatic signaling networks, and neurodegeneration. The resulting evidence map revealed a marked thematic imbalance, with most studies concentrated in mechanistic pathways such as inflammation and oxidative stress, and far fewer addressing neurocognitive or metabolic outcomes. This asymmetry suggests a structural bias in current research priorities and highlights the need to expand kefir-related studies toward more clinically relevant aging endpoints. By merging AI with domain-specific linguistic tools, our study provides a reproducible and data-driven strategy to uncover thematic blind spots and guide future investigations into kefir's anti-aging potential. Formattato: Italiano (Italia) Formattato: Inglese (Regno Unito) Formattato: Car. predefinito paragrafo, Italiano (Italia) Formattato: Italiano (Italia) Formattato: Car. predefinito paragrafo, Italiano (Italia) Formattato: Italiano (Italia) Formattato: Italiano (Italia) Formattato: Inglese (Regno Unito) Formattato: Inglese (Regno Unito) Formattato: Inglese (Regno Unito) Formattato: Inglese (Regno Unito) Formattato: Inglese (Regno Unito) Formattato: Inglese (Regno Unito) Formattato: Inglese (Regno Unito
Keywords: Kefir, probiotcs, Aging, systematic evidence mapping, microbiota, gut-brain axes, Multisystem Health Effects, Systematic review
Received: 14 May 2025; Accepted: 19 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Chiani. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Francesco Chiani, francesco.chiani@cnr.it
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.