Kimchi is very popular Korean condiment generally prepared from fermented vegetables. This fermentation process not only makes it tasty but also makes it health worthy.

Nutritional profile

It is extremely nutritious and contains various imperative nutrients, like it contains fibre, to some extent of carbohydrate, proteins and fat. It is also loaded with various important micronutrients like Vitamin A, C, K, B complex, calcium, phosphorus, selenium, zinc and iron. It contains significant amount of probiotics as well that offer numerous health benefits.

Biological activity            

Antioxidant activity

• Components, which are generally used for preparing kimchi possess strong antioxidant activity thus consumption of kimchi is thought to be very effective for decreasing oxidative stress
• It plays significant role in reducing the concentration of free radicals as well as reactive oxygen species and protects the body from their harmful effects as a result significantly lowers the risk of developing chronic diseases
• It helps to prevent lipid peroxidation as well
• It is also associated with promoting cellular functions by preventing their damages hence promotes well being

Anti-carcinogenic activity

• It plays imperative role in decreasing the prevalence of carcinoma
• It has seen that the cruciferous vegetables, which are used for preparing kimchi, contain an imperative component named isothiocyanates, which exert potent anti-carcinogenic activity
• Its oxidative stress reducing capacity is also accountable for lowering the risk of developing cancers
• It is very effective for preventing cellular proliferation, which ultimately helps to hinder the growth of malignant cells in body

Antimicrobial activity

• It has powerful antimicrobial activity that helps to prevent the growth and replication of microbes within host thus decreases the prevalence of infectious diseases
• Probiotics present in kimchi especially Lactobacillus bacterium, significantly reduces the prevalence of yeast infection
• It is extremely effective against Candida fungus, which is responsible for vaginal infection

Anti-inflammatory activity

• It helps to prevent inflammation as it exhibits potent anti-inflammatory activity, which is closely related with reducing the concentration of inflammatory mediators in body
• Its probiotic components are also accountable for preventing inflammation
• It plays significant role in preventing pain as well
• It is also very effective for preventing joint swelling thus its consumption is thought to be very much useful for those individual who suffer from arthritis

Health benefits

Role on immunity

• It plays significant role in improving the immunological responses of the body
• Its probiotic components especially Lactobacillus bacterium, play significant role in decreasing the concentration of tumor necrosis factor alpha in body, which ultimately indicates that the immune system is performing well because the level of tumor necrosis factor alpha only get increased in body when there is an infection or illness present
• It helps to protect every immune cells from oxidative damages thus promotes their functionality, which ultimately strengthen the defense mechanism of the body
• It is also associated with enhancing the synthesis of WBC, which helps to make the body able for fight against infections

Role on digestive health

• Kimchi is extensively used as an imperative therapeutic agent for promoting digestive health
• Individual who suffer from indigestion should try kimchi as it helps in digestion
• It helps to promote the absorption of other nutrients too
• It is also considered as a good source of probiotics, which play significant role in improving the load of intestinal beneficial microbes and also help in promoting their growth that ultimately improves gut health
• Fibre present in kimchi is also recognized as an important component for digestive health. It helps to improve bowel movement and improves regularity. Fibre is associated with enhancing stool bulkiness and softness, which also accountable for preventing constipation by making the defecation easy

• It helps to improve colonic health as well
• Its consumption is also related with decreasing the prevalence of gastric ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease and diverticular disease

Role on eye health

• Consumption of kimchi is very effective for improving eye health as it is recognized as a good source of beta carotene. Cabbage is considered as one of the most important ingredients of kimchi and it is a good source of beta carotene as well
• Beta carotene plays imperative role in improving vision
• It is also related with protecting cornea and retina from damages
• It is better to include kimchi in diet for decreasing the susceptibility of developing eye disorders

Role on nervous system

• It is extremely useful for improving the health and functionality of nervous system as it exhibits numerous brain protective activities
• It plays important role in protecting every nerve cell from oxidative and inflammatory damages, which significantly lowers the prevalence of neurological disorders
• It helps to improve memory
• It is also linked with improving cognitive ability
• Its consumption is very much helpful for improving mental health status as well

Role on skin

• It is considered as an important therapeutic substance for skin health as it contains various imperative nutrients that provide proper nourishment to the skin
• It helps to make the skin supple
• It helps to improve skin glow as well
• It is also associated with improving skin elasticity and all the credit goes to its Vitamin C component
• It helps to prevent ageing
• It helps to protect the skin from free radical induced oxidative damages and lowers the risk of developing dermal disorders

Therapeutic uses

It has been widely used for various therapeutic purposes like –

• It is used for preventing hypercholesterolemia as it plays imperative role in decreasing the concentration of LDL, VLDL and triglyceride in blood. Whereas it helps to improve the level of HDL thus its consumption is also thought to be very helpful for improving lipid profile as it helps to maintain a healthy ratio of LDL and HDL
• It helps to prevent obesity as well. Individual who are on weight reducing diet should include kimchi in their diet as it facilitates weight reduction and all the credit goes to its fibre content as it is related with delaying stomach emptying hence hinders appetite
• It plays significant role in decreasing blood sugar concentration too. It helps to improve insulin sensitivity that plays significant role in stabilizing blood sugar level. On the other hand, its fibre content is also responsible for reducing postprandial blood glucose load by decreasing the rate of glucose absorption from intestinal epithelial cell

• It helps to promote cardiac heath as well. It is very effective for reducing the prevalence of atherosclerosis as it decreases blood cholesterol concentration, which ultimately lowers the risk of developing coronary artery disease in later life
• It helps to prevent hypertension as well
• It is very effective for preventing common cold too
• Its Vitamin K component is also responsible for improving skeletal health as it helps in bone metabolism, whereas its calcium and phosphorus components are also helpful for maintaining a healthy skeletal system
• It helps to improve metabolism as well

Culinary uses

• It can be consumed with steaming bowl of rice
• It can be added to chicken or fish as well
• It can be easily utilized for preparing kinchi dumplings
• It can also be consumed with noodles
• It can be added to grain dishes as well

Risk factors

Kimchi should be prepared and stored properly otherwise it may cause food poisoning.

Choi, H.J., Lee, N.K. and Paik, H.D., 2015. Health benefits of lactic acid bacteria isolated from kimchi, with respect to immunomodulatory effects. Food Science and Biotechnology, 24(3), pp.783-789.

Kim, B., Mun, E.G., Kim, D., Kim, Y., Park, Y., Lee, H.J. and Cha, Y.S., 2018. A survey of research papers on the health benefits of kimchi and kimchi lactic acid bacteria. Journal of Nutrition and Health, 51(1), pp.1-13.

Kim, H.J., Noh, J.S. and Song, Y.O., 2018. Beneficial effects of kimchi, a korean fermented vegetable food, on pathophysiological factors related to atherosclerosis. Journal of medicinal food, 21(2), pp.127-135.

Park, K.Y., Jeong, J.K., Lee, Y.E. and Daily III, J.W., 2014. Health benefits of kimchi (Korean fermented vegetables) as a probiotic food. Journal of medicinal food, 17(1), pp.6-20.

Park, K.Y., Kim, H.Y. and Jeong, J.K., 2017. Kimchi and its health benefits. In Fermented foods in health and disease prevention (pp. 477-502). Academic Press.