Obesity Risk Lowered by Eating Probiotic Daily

Could a simple side dish reduce your risk of obesity? If the results of a new study are anything to go by, then yes.

In a study published in the journal BMJ Open, researchers from South Korea found that people who ate one to three servings of kimchi daily were less likely to be obese.

Kimchi is a classic Korean dish made by salting and fermenting vegetables with various flavorings and seasonings, like onions, garlic and fish sauce. Cabbage and radish are two of the most commonly used vegetables in the fermentation process, both of which are low in calories and high in fiber, vitamins and polyphenols.

But perhaps most important, the pickled probiotic is a rich source of "good" bacteria, specifically the type that can make lactic acid. Previous studies have shown that at a cellular level, these bacteria can reduce fat accumulation by interacting with fat storage cells and that Lactobacillus bacteria derived from fermented kimchi can reduce fat tissue accumulation in mice.

Even in humans, studies have shown that these kimchi-derived bacteria are associated with decreased body fat mass and waist circumference. However, few large-scale studies of this association have been done.

In this latest study, led by Chung-Ang University in South Korea, over 115,000 patients aged between 40 and 69 were examined based on data from a large, community-based and long-term research project in Korea called the Health Examinees Study.

In their study, the researchers monitored the participants' dietary intake over a year, along with height, weight and waist circumference. And from this data a clear association began to emerge.

In men, three or more servings a day of cabbage kimchi was associated with a 10 percent lower prevalence of obesity and abdominal obesity, compared with those eating less than one serving. In women, two to three daily servings were associated with an 8 percent lower prevalence of obesity, while one to two servings were associated with a 6 percent lower risk of abdominal obesity. Similar results were also seen for the radish-based relish.

These associations followed a J-shaped curve, suggesting that adding four or five servings a day would produce little additional benefits over just three helpings. The authors also noted that kimchi can be very high in salt, so excessive consumption is not recommended.

Of course, this correlation does not necessarily imply a causation, and higher consumption of kimchi may be indicative of a more healthy and balanced diet overall. It is also important to point out that the peer-reviewed study was supported by the World Institute of Kimchi and funded by the Korean Ministry of Science and ICT. But despite these limitations, the study supports previous research into the obesity-busting benefits of this food.