Kimchi_Korea’s representative medicine

Among Korean foods, the representative runner is undoubtedly kimchi.

Following K-Pop, K-Food is enchanting the world.

Kimchi is famous as a health food that boosts immunity to the extent that people doubt

that it is kimchi that saved Koreans from SARS and bird flu that hit Asia in the past.

For this reason, Time magazine, a famous American magazine, pointed out kimchi

as an 'Asian medicine' along with Korean wild vegetables.

Kimchi-guk and kimchi-jjigae, which are made with kimchi as the main ingredient,

are also foods that delight the taste buds of Koreans.

Overseas, I am not familiar with various foods using kimchi.

1. Does eating kimchi prevent cancer?

The strong lactic acid bacteria contained in kimchi prevent cancer.

Nutrients related to the risk of cancer contained in kimchi soup or kimchi stew are antioxidant nutrients such as tacarotene and vitamin C, and lactic acid bacteria produced during the fermentation process. Compared to other vegetable side dishes, kimchi contains various vegetables such as radish, red pepper, and garlic, as well as shrimp,

anchovies, and walnuts, so you can consume various nutrients such as protein, calcium, and various vitamins. Although there is no paper that has directly studied the relationship between consumption of kimchi soup and kimchi stew and cancer occurrence, the research on the relationship between kimchi itself and cancer prevention examines the cancer prevention effect.

2. Kimchi, kimchi soup, and kimchi jjigae that Koreans love

1) Kimchi

Since kimchi contains a lot of lactic acid bacteria, it helps to maintain the balance of microorganisms in the intestine and can help improve immunity by activating immune cells in the body.

(a) Cancer prevention effect of kimchi

Kimchi contains beneficial microorganisms such as lactic acid bacteria and derived bacteria, and experimental results have shown that it maintains the balance of microorganisms in the body and improves the intestinal environment. And these microorganisms help activate the body's immune cells and are effective in removing toxins from the body.

In this respect, kimchi is considered one of the comprehensive nutritional foods that can help prevent cancer.

(b) stress reduction effect

In addition, antioxidants such as vitamin C and beta-carotene contained in kimchi can help reduce oxidative stress in our body. Oxidative stress is one of the causes of cell damage, which can lead to cancer.

Therefore, some studies have shown that actively consuming foods with antioxidant activity, including kimchi, may be beneficial for cancer prevention. However, since kimchi can have a bad effect on high-income earners or people with high blood pressure, it is important to consume the right amount. Also, since kimchi is a high-sodium food, excessive consumption can be detrimental to your health.

Therefore, it is important to maintain a balanced diet including the right amount of kimchi.

(c) Gastric cancer prevention effect

The lactic acid bacteria contained in kimchi can help maintain the balance of microbes in the intestines and help activate the body's immunity. Some studies have found that kimchi may be effective in preventing stomach cancer. It is speculated that the lactic acid bacteria contained in kimchi can help prevent stomach cancer by improving immunity in the stomach. In addition, studies have shown that isoflavones, which are antioxidants contained in kimchi, can help prevent cancer by reducing oxidative stress in the body.

(d) Effect of kimchi fermentation

Organic acids and lactic acid bacteria produced during fermentation of kimchi play an important role in the functioning of the intestines, prevention of constipation and colon cancer. According to the results of a review using lactic acid bacteria isolated from kimchi, freeze-dried whole lactobacillus cells are effective in preventing multiple cancers and solid cancers. In addition, kimchi can add seasonings such as cruciferous vegetables, red pepper powder, and garlic that have cancer-reventing effects, and the cancer-preventing effect can be increased through the production of fermented products.

2) Kimchi Soup

Kimchi soup contains strong natural antibiotics and antioxidants that strengthen immunity.

Kimchi soup plays a role in removing toxins from the body and contains nutrients such as vitamins B1 and B2, and calcium, which is helpful for health.

(a) Excellent cancer prevention effect

The main ingredient in kimchi reduces the incidence of stomach cancer, colon cancer and breast cancer.

Consumption of cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage is known to have cancer-preventive effects in the preliminary stages of prostate cancer, and it has been confirmed in several epidemiological studies and research reports that it reduces the risk of stomach, colon, and breast cancer. Cabbage kimchi produces lactic acid bacteria during the fermentation process and is rich in vitamin C, beta-carotene, flavonoids, and chlorophyll, which are known to prevent cancer. In a test-tube experiment, kimchi consumption inhibited the proliferation of gastric cancer, colon cancer, and osteosarcoma cancer cells and decreased intracellular DNA synthesis.

(b) Kimchi is an anti-cancer agent

In particular, in experimental studies, moderately fermented kimchi showed the greatest anticancer activity.

In addition, in an experimental study on kimchi, kimchi extracts inhibited cytotoxicity to carcinogens and suppressed the carcinogenic process. Among the sub-ingredients of kimchi, red pepper powder contains carotenoids and vitamin C, which are highly effective in preventing cancer. In addition, studies have reported that capsaicin, a spicy ingredient, has cancer-preventive effects, immune boosting, and even diet effects. Kimchi soup may be less effective in preventing cancer than raw kimchi because vitamin C is destroyed, and lactic acid bacteria are killed by heating. However, lactic acid mycelium can also have immune effects and cancer prevention functions.

In addition, bean sprouts and tofu added to kimchi soup are also effective in preventing cancer. Therefore, consuming kimchi soup is advantageous for cancer prevention, but the concentration of kimchi in food is lower than that of cabbage kimchi. Because it is low, the expected effect is not large.

(c) Kimchi soup that foreigners can easily make ingredient

(Food ingredients needed)

- Kimchi 500g

- 100g pork

- 4 cups of water

- 1 tbsp minced garlic

- 1 cup kimchi soup

- Appropriate amount of sesame oil, salt and pepper

(For seasoning green onion and kimchi soup Kimchi Soup Recipe)

-. Cut the kimchi into 3cm wide pieces.

-. The pork is coarsely minced.

-. Put kimchi, pork, water, and minced garlic in a pot and bring to a boil.

-. When it starts to boil, season with kimchi broth, sesame oil, salt and pepper.

-. Cover and simmer for another 5 minutes.

-. Place in a bowl and season with green onions and kimchi broth.

3) Kimchi Stew

(a) Effects of Kimchi Stew

Ingredients Since the dietary fiber in kimchi has the effect of removing fat, an offset effect can be expected.

Ingredients used in cooking kimchi jjigae include kimchi, pork, soybean paste, and green onion.

The principles by which these ingredients affect immunity improvement are slightly different.

- Kimchi:

Kimchi contains a lot of lactic acid bacteria, so it helps to maintain the balance of microbes in the intestines and can help improve immunity by activating immune cells in the body.

- Pork:

Pork is rich in protein, vitamin B12, and zinc, so it can help activate immune cells and maintain immune function in the body.

- Soybean paste:

Soybean paste is a high-protein, low-fat, and low-carbohydrate food that can help activate immune cells in the body.

Also, doenjang contains antioxidants called isoflavones, which can help boost immunity by reducing oxidative stress in the body.

- Green onion:

Green onion is rich in nutrients such as vitamin C, calcium, and iron, so it can help activate immune cells in the body. Green onions also have antioxidant properties, which can help boost immunity.

(b) Good ingredients contained in kimchi stew

The relationship between kimchi stew and cancer can be explained through the ingredients added during cooking.

Adding pork to Kimchi Jjigae provides a nutritional balance by supplementing protein and fat. It also enhances the taste of the stew and goes well with it. Of course, intake of a lot of animal fat can cause colorectal cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer, but the right amount of dietary fiber in kimchi has the effect of removing fat, so an offset effect can be expected. In the case of tuna kimchi stew with tuna in kimchi, tuna's omega-3 fatty acids (EPA, DHA) have cancer- reventing effects, so it not only supplies the protein and fat that kimchi lacks but can also expect cancer-preventing effects.

(c) Prevention of prostate cancer of cruciferous vegetables

A lot of nitrates in kimchi turns into nitrite, and nitrosamines produced by combining with secondary amines derived from salted fish are suspected to be the cause of gastric cancer. However, according to a series of studies to confirm this, high-salinity kimchi has shown that salt has the effect of helping carcinogens, but kimchi with a salt concentration of less than 3% has been studied to have cancer-preventive effects. Therefore, as for the relationship between kimchi and cancer, kimchi can be recognized as a cancer-preventive food unless you continue to eat kimchi with a high concentration of 7 to 8 percent. However, since nitrate changes during fermentation of kimchi, it needs to be considered.