Eating up to three daily servings of kimchi could reduce men’s risk of obesity. Also, radish kimchi is associated with a lower prevalence of abdominal obesity in both men and women, according to a new study.
Researchers looked at data from the Health Examinees (HEXA) study, which included 115,726 participants (36,756 men, 78,970 women who were 51 years old, on average). HEXA examines environmental and genetic risk factors for chronic health conditions among Korean adults over 40.
Participants answered a 106-item food frequency questionnaire, sharing how frequently they ate certain foods, from never to 3 times a day. Height, weight and waist circumference were also measured.
Results showed consuming as many as 3 daily servings of total kimchi was associated with an 11% lower prevalence of obesity compared with less than 1 daily serving.
For men, 3 or more daily servings of baechu kimchi was linked to a 10% decreased prevalence of obesity and a 10% decreased prevalence of abdominal obesity compared to 1 serving.
For women, 2 to 3 daily servings of baechu kimchi (napa cabbage kimchi) was linked to an 8% decreased prevalence of obesity, whereas 1 to 2 servings each day was linked with a 6% lower prevalence of abdominal obesity.
In addition, consuming below-average quantities of kkakdugi kimchi (cubed radish kimchi) was associated with approximately a 9% lower likelihood of obesity in both men and women.
“This is an observational study, so it doesn’t show that eating kimchi causes a reduction in obesity risk,” Samantha Cassetty, MS, RD, nutrition and wellness expert and co-author of Sugar Shock, said.
