Kimchi Targets Key Parts of Your Immune System, Study RevealsNEWS | 05 December 2025Kimchi has been enjoyed for centuries in Korea. But the spicy fermented cabbage dish has recently gained popularity in other parts of the world not only because of its delicious taste, but because of its potential to positively influence the many thousands of important microbes living in our gut as well as our overall health.
A recent study suggests that kimchi may also help support the immune system.
The study looked at 13 overweight adults over a 12-week period. Participants were randomly assigned to three groups. One group received a placebo, while the other two groups received two different types of kimchi powder (kimchi that had been freeze-dried and put into a capsule).
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The first type of kimchi powder was naturally fermented using microbes already in the environment. The second type was fermented with a chosen bacterial culture instead of relying on natural microbes. The amount of kimchi powder participants were given daily was roughly equivalent to eating 30 grams of fresh kimchi.
Blood samples were taken before and after the study and analysed using a technique that shows what each immune cell is doing instead of giving an overall average. This gives a detailed view of how the immune system responded.
The study found that kimchi affected the immune system in a targeted way. It increased the activity of antigen-presenting cells (APCs). These are immune cells that ingest pathogens, process them, and show pieces of those pathogens on their surface so the body's helper T cells (which coordinate overall immune response) know to mount a response against those specific pathogens.
Kimchi also increased the activity of certain genes that act like switches, helping these immune cells send clearer signals to T cells.
There were also genetic changes in helper T cells that made them react more quickly to anything that triggers an immune response. Since helper T cells coordinate immune responses, these changes mean they're better equipped to help other immune cells fight infections effectively.
Most other immune cells stayed the same, meaning kimchi targeted helper T cells rather than activating the entire immune system. Maintaining this balance is important because the immune system must be able to respond to infections effectively while avoiding excessive inflammation that can damage tissues.
Overall, the results suggest that kimchi helps the immune system respond to threats more effectively without causing too much inflammation.Author: The Conversation. Source
