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NCT Number: NCT07435831

Kimchi and Gut Health

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.

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Key information

Conditions

Healthy Adult Participants

Age range

19 year–70 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Ragle Human Nutrition Center, Davis, California, United States

Loading trial locations.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

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

Treatment and study plan

60 grams per day of intervention food

Other

Non-fermented cabbage

Primary outcomes

  1. Change from baseline in fecal Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB)

    Time frame: Baseline and week 3

Secondary outcomes

  1. Fecal Metabolites - Change in short chain fatty acids (SCFA) and secondary bile acids (BA)

    Time frame: Baseline and 3 weeks

  2. Gut integrity and health - Change in fecal calprotectin, fecal lipocalin, and fecal sIGA

    Time frame: Baseline and 3 weeks

  3. Gut integrity and health - Change in plasma lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), zonulin, and sCD14

    Time frame: Baseline and 3 weeks

  4. Immune biomarkers - Change in plasma IL-6, TNF-alpha, hsCRP

    Time frame: Baseline and 3 weeks

  5. Cardiometabolic biomarkers - Change in lipid panel (TC, LDL, HDL, TG), and oxidized LDL (oxLDL)

    Time frame: Baseline and 3 weeks

  6. Qualitative self-assessment of gut associated health - Change in Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS)

    Time frame: Baseline and 3 weeks

    This questionnaire rates gastrointestinal symptoms over the past 7 days. A higher score indicates presence and increasing severity of symptoms and level of discomfort.

  7. Qualitative self-assessment of gut associated health - Change in Digestion-associated Quality of Life Questionnaire (DQLQ)

    Time frame: Baseline and 3 weeks

    This questionnaire measures the effect of digestive symptoms on daily life over the past 7 days. A higher score indicates a lower (worse) digestion-associated Quality of Life.

Other outcomes

  1. Body Mass Index (BMI)

    Time frame: Baseline and 3 weeks

    To derive the Body Mass Index (BMI) the following will be done: Height will be measured in meters. Weight will be measured in kilograms. These values will be aggregated to arrive at one reported value to report BMI in kg/m2

  2. Dietary Records and nutritional analysis of Macronutrients

    Time frame: Baseline, week 1 of intervention, week 3 of intervention

    ASA24 (Automated Self Assessment of diet on the NIH website) will be used to record 24 hours of diet intake. Macronutrients will be measured in grams/day.

  3. Dietary records and assessment of Fiber intake

    Time frame: Baseline, weeks 1 and 3

    ASA24 (Automated Self Assessment of diet on the NIH website) will be used to record 24 hours of diet intake. Dietary fiber will be measured in grams/day.

  4. Waist Circumference

    Time frame: Baseline and 3 weeks

    Waist circumference will be measured in centimeters

  5. Blood Pressure

    Time frame: Baseline and 3 weeks

    Blood pressure will be measured by automated upper arm cuff to read systolic and diastolic pressure in units of mm Hg. Normal pressure is considered 120/80 mm Hg.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of California, Davis

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Kimchi and Gut Health - Kimchi Effects on the Human Gut Microbiome

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2029
First posted
Feb 27, 2026
Registry last updated
Apr 2, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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