A study was conducted to analyze the efficacy of kimchi, a representative fermented food. Koreans often eat kimchi with every meal, consuming an average of 50 to 200 grams per day. This study was conducted with the purpose of systematically evaluating all prospective clinical studies on kimchi to identify the effects of kimchi on health.
The Korean Medicine Science Research Team at the Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine analyzed 11 kimchi-related research papers published by November 2022. As a result of the analysis, those who
via-select.com consumed a lot of kimchi had lower BMI, cholesterol, fasting blood sugar, and blood fat levels than those who did not. The change in fasting blood sugar was most noticeable, and it decreased from 80.7 to 75.1 on average before kimchi consumption.
Kimchi has a skin-improving effect. After consuming kimchi for 12 weeks, pH, the acidity of the skin, was lowered and maintained at an appropriate level, and the concentration of lactic acid in the skin surface increased by 25.56%. A pH of 1-6 is acidic, a pH of 7 is neutral, and a pH of 8-14 is alkaline. The lower the pH, the closer it is to acidity, the more oily it is, and the higher the pH, the closer it is to alkalinity, the more dry it is. When the pH is maintained at 5.5, a natural protective film is created on the skin with sebum and sweat. Lactic acid improves skin exfoliation and supplies moisture to the inner surface of the epidermis.
Kimchi is effective in relieving symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. In the study, regular kimchi, kimchi with Lactobacillus plantarum, one of the lactic acid bacteria, and kimchi with mistletoe extract were all effective in improving abdominal distension and abdominal pain.
