Overview
The goal of this study is to learn about the effects of eating kimchi on the gut health of healthy adults in the USA. The investigators will be researching the changes in the gut microbiome, biomarkers of gut health and cardiometabolic health after consuming fermented and unfermented cabbage.
The main questions it aims to answer are:
Does eating kimchi (fermented cabbage) result in enrichment of lactic acid bacteria in the stools of participants? Does eating kimchi result in metabolic changes in the gut microbiome, biomarkers of gut and cardiometabolic health of participants? Researchers will compare a group of participants eating fermented cabbage (kimchi) daily to a group of participants eating non-fermented cabbage daily.
Participants will:
Eat kimchi or cabbage daily for 3 weeks. Visit the study site for brief visits up to 5 times. Have blood drawn and provide a fecal sample 2 times - at beginning and end of the 3 week study.
Keep occasional records of food intake and questionnaires about any gastrointestinal symptoms that participants may have.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria:
- BMI of 25-30 kg/m2
- No or occasional consumption of kimchi (3 or fewer times per week)
- Willing to eat study food every day for 3 weeks
- Willing to participate in study protocols
Exclusion Criteria:
- Allergy to cabbage and /or cruciferous family vegetables
- Allergy to kimchi ingredients such as shellfish and fish sauce
- Daily consumption of kimchi
- Diagnosed digestive issues such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or gastrointestinal inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or conditions such as Crohn's disease
- Previous bowel surgery that disrupts the digestive flow, motility or gastric emptying process
- Antibiotics used in the 2 months prior to enrollment
- Unwillingness to discontinue probiotics during study and washout period
- Active diagnosis and/or treatment for cancer
