Some research suggests that eating more kimchi and other fermented foods may help you lose weight. But these studies did not prove a cause-effect relationship, so you should not hope that eating kimchi every day will help you lose weight faster. This was reported by Speech.
Fermented foods are produced by microbes (bacteria and/or yeast) that ferment (digest) food ingredients to form new substances. Examples include yogurt, cheese, kefir, kombucha, wine, beer, sauerkraut and kimchi. Fermentation causes food to become acidic, which extends its shelf life. Fermentation also leads to the creation of new nutrients, which improves the species composition of microbes in the gut.
A recent study of 115,000 people in South Korea found that eating one to three servings of kimchi types per day was associated with a lower risk of obesity in men. However, those who ate five or more servings of kimchi weighed more, had larger waists, and were more likely to be obese. The study was funded by the World Kimchi Institute. The authors acknowledged that their study could only prove correlation, not causation.
More reliable evidence could come from experimental studies in which scientists ask people to change their diets and then measure how this affects their health. One such study found that men who drank 1.4 liters of fermented milk products with meals retained food in their stomachs longer. This led them to stay full longer and eat less. Another study found that drinking 200 milliliters of kefir (a small glass) after eating fast carbohydrates reduced participants’ appetite. In an experiment conducted in South Korea, people were asked to eat approximately 70 grams of fermented soybeans per day. At the end of the study, body fat percentage decreased and women’s waist circumference decreased. However, there was no change in the weight of either the man or the woman. A systematic review of all studies examining the effects of fermented foods on satiety (feeling of fullness) found no effect.
The Conversation notes that research to date does not support that fermented foods help you lose weight. Additionally, eating them can lead to excess salt in the body; This has previously been linked to an increased risk of hypertension, heart disease and stroke.
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