Researchers from the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR) have completed a review showing the many health benefits of kimchi, a traditional Korean food that’s becoming popular around the world.
Kimchi is made by fermenting cabbage and radish with spices like salt, chili powder, garlic, and ginger. Once rare in the U.S., it’s now found in many grocery stores across the country.
The study, published in Nutrition Reviews, analyzed nine human studies on fermented kimchi from 2011 to 2023. The results show that eating fermented kimchi may lead to:
– Lower fasting glucose levels (1.93 mg/dL)
– Lower triglycerides (28.88 mg/dL)
– Lower systolic blood pressure (by 3.48 mmHg)
– Lower diastolic blood pressure (by 2.68 mmHg)
Associate Professor Ock Chun highlighted that even a 5 mmHg drop in systolic blood pressure is considered meaningful in clinical settings, so these diet-based results are quite promising.
Kimchi is high in sodium, which usually raises blood pressure. However, the study suggests that the good bacteria produced during fermentation may help cancel out sodium’s negative effects.
This is the first paper to summarize what we know about fermented kimchi’s health benefits, especially for U.S. scientists. All the studies so far have been done in Korea with Asian participants, so researchers suggest future studies in the U.S. to see if the benefits apply to other populations too.
Postdoctoral researcher Seoeun Ahn, who led the study, says, “It would be very meaningful to conduct an intervention study in the U.S.”
The study is published in Nutrition Reviews.
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