Kimchi Diet Reduces Body Fat by 31.8% in Preclinical Study

Scitech Daily ^ | December 03, 2024 | National Research Council of Science & Technology

[Red Badger]

Kimchi, a traditional fermented Korean food. Credit: World Institute of Kimchi (WiKim) Kimchi has been shown to reduce body fat and improve gut health, supporting its potential as a dietary strategy to address global obesity, based on various studies and clinical trials.

Obesity has become a global epidemic, with approximately 16% of the world’s population, or about 890 million people, suffering from this condition. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized obesity as a significant health issue, emphasizing its detrimental effects on individuals’ quality of life and overall health.

In response, the World Institute of Kimchi in South Korea has published a series of articles in international journals on the anti-obesity effects of kimchi. These articles, based on research studies on the subject, indicate that regular consumption of kimchi, a traditional Korean fermented food, effectively reduces body fat and may serve as a promising dietary strategy to combat obesity.

Diagram of Anti-Obesity Effects of Kimchi Clinical Trial

Diagrammatic representation of the results of the clinical trial on the anti-obesity effects of kimchi. Credit: World Institute of Kimchi (WiKim) Research Findings on Kimchi’s Health Benefits

New research into the effects of kimchi on obesity has yielded compelling evidence supporting its efficacy. Notably, preclinical experiments in animal models of obesity revealed a substantial 31.8% reduction in body fat among those fed a kimchi diet.[1]

Additionally, an extensive analysis of data collected over 13 years from the Korea Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES), a large population-based study, found that appropriate kimchi intake is associated with a 15% reduction in body mass index (BMI) and a 12% decrease in obesity incidence among middle-aged males. This study was published in Food & Function[2] and BMJ Open[3] (a British medical journal published by a subsidiary of the British Medical Association).

Front View of the World Institute of Kimchi

Clinical Study Insights Continuing this line of inquiry, a study conducted by a team led by Dr. Sung-Wook Hong from the Kimchi Functionality Research Group at the World Institute of Kimchi, in collaboration with the Pusan National University Hospital, South Korea, focused on the anti-obesity effects of kimchi and its impact on gut microbiomes. This study investigated the changes in anthropometric measurements, blood biomarkers, and gut microbiomes of 55 overweight adults, comprising both males and females, with a BMI ranging from 23 to 30 kg/m2. The participants consumed 3 kimchi capsules per meal (60g of kimchi per day) for 3 months. The kimchi capsules contained kimchi powder produced by freeze-drying cabbage kimchi fermented at 4℃ for 2 weeks. The research team analyzed the changes in the body fat composition of the participants and found that the group that consumed kimchi showed a 2.6% decrease in body fat, but the control group that did not take the kimchi capsules exhibited a 4.7% increase in body fat, showing a statistically significant difference between the two groups.

Further, the analysis of the participants’ microbiomes revealed that kimchi consumption increased the abundance of the beneficial gut bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila and reduced the number of Proteobacteria, which are associated with obesity.

Akkermansia muciniphila is a species of gut bacterium that has been reported to reduce inflammation and improve the markers of metabolic syndrome and obesity through the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs).

Global Impact and Future Research The successful completion of this clinical trial on the body fat-reducing effects of kimchi indicates that a steady consumption of kimchi is effective in alleviating obesity symptoms through the modulation of the gut microbiota.

Dr. Hae-Choon Chang, Director of the World Institute of Kimchi, said, “The results of a preclinical study and a clinical trial have systematically verified the anti-obesity effects of kimchi, and present scientific evidence that would help to make the excellent properties of kimchi widely known, thereby laying the foundation for the growth of kimchi as a health food well recognized around the world.” She also said, “We will continue to devote our time, effort, and resources towards scientific research to reinforce the health-functional properties of kimchi, in improving gastrointestinal health in addition to its immune-enhancing and anti-cancer effects, thus firmly establishing the role of kimchi as a global health food.”

The clinical trial on the anti-obesity effects of kimchi was published in the October 2024 issue of the Journal of Functional Foods.

Meanwhile, in Korea, the country where kimchi originated, November 22 was officially designated as a national commemorative day for kimchi and named Kimchi Day in 2020. Kimchi is the first Korean food to be recognized in this manner for its unique health properties. Since then, Kimchi Festivals have been celebrated on Kimchi Day in the U.S., U.K., Argentina, and Brazil on November 22.

References:

“Kimchi intake alleviates obesity-induced neuroinflammation by modulating the gut-brain axis”

by Namhee Kim, Jieun Lee, Hye Seon Song, Young Joon Oh, Min-Sung Kwon, Misun Yun, Seul Ki Lim, Hyo Kyeong Park, Young Seo Jang, Sulhee Lee, Sang-Pil Choi, Seong Woon Roh and Hak-Jong Choi, 21 June 2022, Food Research International.

DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2022.111533

“Effect of kimchi intake on body weight of general community dwellers: a prospective cohort study”

by Li-Juan Tan, Ye-Rang Yun, Sung Wook Hong and Sangah Shin, 8 February 2023, Food & Function.

DOI: 10.1039/D2FO03900A

“Association between kimchi consumption and obesity based on BMI and abdominal obesity in Korean adults: a cross-sectional analysis of the Health Examinees study”

by Hyein Jung, Ye-Rang Yun, Sung Wook Hong and Sangah Shin, 1 February 2024, BMJ Open.

DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-076650

“Effects of kimchi consumption on body fat and intestinal microbiota in overweight participants: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single-center clinical trial”

by Wooje Lee, Min-Sung Kwon, Ye-Rang Yun, Hasun Choi, Mi-Ja Jung, Hyelyeon Hwang, Myung-Jun Shin, Jong-Hwan Park, Du-Ri Kim, Ji Yoon Chang, So Young Moon, Ho Jae Lee, Tae-Woon Kim, Tae Woong Whon and Sung Wook Hong, 15 August 2024, Journal of Functional Foods.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jff.2024.106401

[MayflowerMadam]

“How do you tell the difference between fermented and spoiled or rotten?”

Much like yogurt. It isn’t yogurt until it’s spoiled.

[Veto!]

Kimchi requires a barf alert for me, but I drink Kombucha frequently. And only the Mojita flavor, which isn’t sweet.

[onona]

Pigs in a blanket ? No ?

[Twotone]

You don’t get sick when you eat it, maybe? :-)

[Albion Wilde]

your link about “fatties” is not working.

[OldMissileer]

are you supposed to eat kimchi cold or warmed up? Ive never been sure.

I am not an expert but I ate my first Kimchi 45 years ago when I met my then soon to be Mother-In-Law. She was born and raised in Japan.

I love Kimchi and have always ate it cold or at room temperature. I am a bit picky as I will not eat mass-produced Kimchi (yuck). I never thought to heat it nor have I ever been to an establishment or home where it was heated.

That does not mean it can be done and if someone likes it heated then more power to them.

[CaptainPhilFan]

MM! I must update my profile :)

I moved from Waterford in ‘21. Now in the state of Virginia, near Roanoke. I’m awfully sorry to have not met your cousins when Cohoes was just over the bridge.

[Faith65]

BKMK

[animal172]

I usually buy it at an oriental grocery store. But, you can even find it in Walmart and other grocery stores. The best is found in mom and pop Korean grocery stores. They usually make it themselves. Great stuff.

[Zhang Fei]

[I’ve tried fermenting my own sauerkraut with no success. Brands like Bubbies and Olive My Pickle offer kraut, pickles, and olives that are wonderfully, naturally fermented, bu t the cost is prohibitive.]

---

Sauerkraut is the easiest thing in the world to make. I usually do a pound at a time, but the typical ratio is between 2%-3% of salt by weight. I split the difference, use 2.5%, or 40 parts cabbage, 1 part salt by weight.

Remove a lb of leaves from a head and rinse them clean of grit or other impurities. Slice them into matchsticks with a sharp knife, a salad shooter or a food processor. The salt needed for 1 lb of cabbage is 16 oz/40, or 0.4 oz, which is about 1-1/2 standard teaspoons (the measuring spoons you get in a set at the grocery store).

Place the sliced cabbage in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the salt on the cabbage. Set a timer for 2 minutes. Work the salt into the cabbage for the full 2 minutes either with your hands or baking spoons. The idea is to get the salt evenly mixed in. Set aside for 10 minutes. (Osmosis causes the salt to enter the leaves while sweating brine).

Use a potato masher on the cabbage to get it to sweat out enough brine to cover the cabbage. Spoon it into a repurposed glass jam jar. Use a spoon to push the cabbage below the brine. Line the top of the jar with tripled over Saran wrap (so the eventual vinegar fumes don’t rust out the steel cover), and cover. Set aside for three weeks, after which it is ready to eat. Refrigerate to keep it crunchy.

[NetAddicted]

I’ve read that pickled foods are good for health. I don’t eat much of them, but I’ve never had to worry about gaining weight. Until I was 30, I exercised constantly: walking and biking. Still thin, although I don’t move as much.

[Verginius Rufus]

My father was stationed in Korea in 1954 for 8 months. He said that only the Korean officers could afford to buy kimchi—it was too expensive for the enlisted men to afford.

[Jane Long]

Kefir.

[Jane Long]

Do you make your own? Buy?

[aMorePerfectUnion]

Thank you! I’ve never tried it but will.

[Ransomed]

I love the taste of kimchi, but I don’t like way it makes the fridge and everything in the fridge smell like kimchi. I put it in the beer fridge, but then that stinks. I guess a dedicated fridge would be an answer. I actually go through periods where I make kimchi myself until I get sick of the smell. All the containers I have found don’t seem to keep that pungency in.

Anyone know how to keep the smell contained?

Freegards

[Rio]

Do you make your own? Buy?
Both. Cabbage of some sort seems to be the constant. I add radish and carrot and korean red pepper. Easy to customize. I'm OK with hot/spicy, but it's not necessary. But it will always be sour like vinegar.

[Jane Long]

Thanks.

I found a keto kimchi recipe! May have to give it a try...

https://www.yangsnourishingkitchen.com/keto-kimchi/

[animal172]

Be advised Kimchi is very spicy and pungent. It isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. There are different versions to try. Hope you enjoy it.

[Rio]

Looks about right. I don’t know what “asian chive” is .
Here is the pepper flake that I use:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005G8TWCI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1