Actively Recruiting
Kimchi and Gut Health
Led by University of California, Davis · Updated on 2026-04-02
60
Participants Needed
2
Research Sites
191 weeks
Total Duration
On this page
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
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.
CONDITIONS
Official Title
Kimchi and Gut Health
Who Can Participate
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- 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
You will not qualify if you...
- 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 digestive flow, motility, or gastric emptying
- 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
AI-Screening
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Trial Site Locations
Total: 2 locations
1
Ragle Human Nutrition Center
Davis, California, United States, 95616
Actively Recruiting
2
UC Davis Ragle Human Nutrition Research Center
Davis, California, United States, 95616
Actively Recruiting
How is the study designed?
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Masking
SINGLE
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Model
PARALLEL
Primary Purpose
PREVENTION
Number of Arms
2
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