What are the health benefits of långfil?

What is långfil?

Långfil is a traditional Swedish fermented milk with a soft, elastic, ropy texture, with fine strands that form during fermentation. It belongs to the Swedish “fil” family of fermented milks. It is a milk product, not a tea.

Why is it stringy?

The ropy texture comes from a bacterium described as Lactococcus lactis var. longi, which converts milk carbohydrates into polysaccharide chains. It ferments at room temperature, roughly 70 to 78 degrees F. Traditionally, leaves of butterwort or sundew were placed at the bottom of the container, although the source notes no clear link between the leaf bacteria and the finished product. The culture was kept by soaking a clean cloth in the product and drying it, so the dried cloth carried the bacteria to the next batch. Today it is disappearing from Swedish stores, and its production depends on households that still make it.

What are the health benefits?

We found no official health body that has assessed långfil, so there are no approved health claims for it. General points:

• As a milk product it contains milk’s nutrients. The amounts depend on the milk and the fat level, so check the label of any pack you buy.
• It contains live cultures, but the US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says that in most instances it is unknown which probiotics help, at what dose and for whom, and evidence is mixed or inconclusive for several conditions.
• Do not treat it as a way to prevent or treat illness.

Who should be careful?

Probiotics have a long history of apparently safe use, mainly in healthy people, but the risk of harm is greater for people with serious illnesses or weakened immune systems, and for premature infants. Ask a doctor first if that applies to you. If you make it at home, use clean jars and refrigerate it, as general guidance. Discard it if it smells rotten or shows mold.

Långfil vs A-fil