Kimchi Lowering Obesity Risk

A January 2024 study reported in BMJ Open compared with those who ate less than 1 daily serving of total kimchi, participants who ate 5 or more servings weighed more, had a larger waist size, and were more likely to be obese. They were also more likely to not be highly educated, have a low income, and to drink alcohol.

But after accounting for potentially influential factors, eating up to 3 daily servings of total kimchi was associated with an 11% lower prevalence of obesity compared with less than 1 daily serving.

“Since all results observed a ‘J-shaped’ association, excessive consumption suggests the potential for an increase in obesity prevalence. And as kimchi is one of the major sources of sodium intake, a moderate amount should be recommended for the health benefits of its other components.”

Processed Foods; Browning; Obesity; Degeneration

An October 2023 study by the Buck Institute for Research on Aging said,

• “This research, done in tiny nematode worms, has immense implications for human dietary choices and the propensity to overeat certain foods.”

• “Processed modern diets enriched with AGEs (certain chemicals in cooked or processed foods, called advanced glycation end products) are tempting to eat but we know very little about their long-term consequences on our health.”

• “Humans evolved certain mechanisms that encourage us to eat as much food as possible during times of plenty. We store the excess calories as fat that we use to survive times of fasting,”

• “Natural selection favored genes that makes us preferentially consume flavorful food, especially those with higher sugar content. But what is the mechanism that makes it so hard to say ‘no’ to them?"

• “The brown color that occurs during cooking, which makes food look and smell delicious is a result of AGEs,”

• “Basically, we are finding that AGEs make food more appetizing and harder to resist.”

• “Once advanced glycation products are formed, they cannot be detoxified,”

• “Similarly, there is no way to reverse the AGEs,”

• “Understanding this signaling pathway may help us to understand overeating due to modern AGEs-rich diets.”

• “Our study emphasizes that AGEs accumulation is involved in diseases, including obesity and neurodegeneration. We think that overall, limiting AGEs accumulation is relevant to the global increase in obesity and other age-associated diseases.”

• “We are not controlling our food intake, instead it is the food that is attempting to control us.”

• “We are naturally attracted to delicious food, but we could be more mindful that we do have the ability to make healthy choices when we eat.”