Kimchi found to significantly reduce body fat and combat obesity

Recent investigations exploring the effects of kimchi on obesity have 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.

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, BMJ Open (a British medical journal published by a subsidiary of the British Medical Association) and was also reported in the U.S based NBC News.

Continuing this line of inquiry, a research 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.

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.

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.

Source:

National Research Council of Science & Technology

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