Interesting dishes from Asia are a 'miracle drug' to reduce excess fat and blood fat

Volunteers aged 20-65, ranging from slightly overweight to obese, lost significant fat in just 12 weeks without losing any weight.

According to a study recently published in the medical journal Journal of Functional Foods , the famous Korean dish kimchi has the potential to be used as a natural "miracle drug" to reduce fat as well as the risk of developing dangerous diseases in overweight and obese people.

This effect is due to positive changes in the gut microbiota.

Kimchi can help reduce excess fat and blood fat in overweight and obese people - (Photo: NEWS MEDICAL).

In recent years, obesity has been warned by many health agencies around the world as a disease of the times that covers many diseases, with a high risk of developing conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

The causes of obesity include a combination of factors such as genetics, diet, gut bacteria composition, and exercise habits.

Among them, diet is considered the most important factor and it can also affect the intestinal microbiota.

Therefore, kimchi - which is now almost popular all over the world - has potential in controlling obesity thanks to its rich probiotic content , according to the authors from Pusan ​​National University Hospital, Gyeongsang National University and the World Kimchi Institute (Korea).

Writing in the new study, the authors point out that kimchi contains cabbage, garlic, ginger and red pepper, which have all been shown to improve metabolism.

The benefits are further enhanced as the fermentation process increases the amount of bioactive compounds in the above ingredients, adding probiotics to the body, thereby improving intestinal health, helping to increase the number of beneficial bacteria such as Akkermansia muciniphila.

Kimchi has potential in controlling obesity thanks to its high probiotic content. (Photo: Internet).

90 volunteers aged 20-65, with a body mass index (BMI) of 23-30 participated in the experiment.

Although according to international standards, a BMI of 25 or more is considered overweight, scientists say that for Asians, 23 is overweight.

They were randomly assigned to three groups, supplemented with capsules containing one of two types of fermented kimchi powder or a placebo for comparison, and had the same diet.

After 12 weeks, anthropometric analysis showed significant increases in body fat mass and percentage fat gain in the placebo group.

In contrast, the kimchi supplement groups showed significant reductions in body fat mass, although they did not lose any weight.

With a body of the same weight, a person with low fat and high muscle mass is naturally healthier.

In the two kimchi supplement groups, the group using kimchi fermented with the probiotic Leuconostoc mesenteroides also showed improvements in blood lipid indicators, including reductions in bad cholesterol (LDL) and triglycerides and increases in good cholesterol (HDL).

"Phytochemicals in kimchi may act as prebiotics, enhance the growth of probiotics and contribute to metabolic health," the authors explain.

Some previous studies have shown that many other probiotic-rich foods - such as yogurt, fermented bean curd, natto, sauerkraut, fermented vegetables of all kinds. can also help fight obesity and high blood fat.