Sunday, May 15, 2011

Kimchi Lover's Rejoice

Green Med Info has highlighted two reports this week showing the health benefits of traditional fermented cabbage dishes like kimchi.

The first study shows that an active compound of kimchi inhibits atherosclerosis in rabbits (let's ignore the fact that rabbits usually eat raw cabbage). These rabbits were fed a high-cholesterol diet and then given either a pharmaceutical drug or the kimchi compound. The kimchi compound had the highest cholesterol-lowering effect.

The second study shows that a particular strain of Lactobacillus bacteria found in kimchi is able to degrade organophosphorus pesticides which include extremely toxic substances such as parathion and diazinon.

For more information about kimchi and fermented foods see the past blog post about Raw/Live Food and the health links page at the Alternative Health Guides Web Site for where to buy kimchi-like products and books about how to make your own.