Effects of kimchi on human health: a scoping review of randomized controlled trials

Abstract

Kimchi is a Korean traditional fermented food which is one of the most popular ethnic fermented foods in Korea and consumed daily. The purpose of this review was to systematically evaluate all prospective clinical studies of kimchi and to estimate the effectiveness of kimchi for health in general. Three English databases, four Korean databases, and two clinical trial registries were searched until November 7, 2022. Two independent reviewers extracted and tabulated the data. The outcomes of this review were any health-related outcomes that studied on kimchi or kimchi-derived probiotics. Eleven randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included in this review, with 638 participants enrolled in total and 608 participants completing the trials. Most of the included RCTs examined serum lipid profiles and clinical parameters and found that kimchi interventions showed decrease in serum lipids, cholesterols and body fats. Kimchi interventions may be safe and effective treatment option for the treatment of general health, obesity, and irritable bowel syndrome, regardless of the lack of adequate trials. In the future, research that can verify the conflicting results on the health benefits of kimchi should be conducted rigorously to provide the scientific basis for the benefits of kimchi.