As foods that help boost immunity are gaining popularity worldwide amid the coronavirus pandemic, a group of researchers said Wednesday that kimchi could alleviate Covid-19 symptoms.
“Various nutrients contained in primary materials of kimchi, such as cabbage, red pepper and garlic, control the antioxidant system in the human body, blocking the nerve channels that perceive Covid-19 symptoms to alleviate them,” the World Institute of Kimchi (WiKim) said.
The institute conducted joint research with a French team led by Jean Bousquet, professor emeritus at the University of Montpellier.
The Korean and French researchers traced reasons for Covid-10 occurrence, the severity of symptoms and death rate by countries, and why these differ country by country. They took note of relatively low Covid-19 fatalities in East Asian countries, including Korea, and some sub-Saharan African countries, according to the institute.
Countries with lower death rates, except Australia and New Zealand, have one thing in common; people in these countries consume lots of fermented vegetables, such as kimchi, and various spices.
Researchers found that kimchi contains various nutrients, such as sulforaphane in cabbage, allicin in garlic, capsaicin in red pepper, gingerol in ginger, and lactobacillus made during the fermentation process. All these interact with Nrf2, an antioxidant system in the body, removing harmful-active oxygen caused by the coronavirus. Nrf2, or nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2, is a protein type controlling the body's antioxidant system.
They also identified the correlation between the nutrient ingredients that interact with Nrf2 and transient receptor potential (TRP) activation, leading to inflammatory reactions in the human body.
The nutrient components found in kimchi and other fermented vegetables make the TRP channel lose its activity, which relieves Covid-19 inflammation, the team said.
“Kimchi is rich in antioxidants and can be an effective food for alleviating coronavirus symptoms thanks to its effects in reducing TRP activity,” Professor Bousquet said. “Korea’s low rate of Covid-19 deaths and severe patients could be attributed to kimchi.”
Choi Hak-jong, acting general manager of the institute, also said, “Foreign researchers recognize kimchi’s excellence and great potential. Many Korean researchers are also confirming kimchi’s efficacy on Covid-19 with animal models. Their study results will come out soon.”
He cited several research bodies conducting such studies, including the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, and Jeonbuk National University.
The joint study’s results were published in the December issue of Clinical and Translational Allergy.