What Happens to Your Immune System When You Eat Kimchi

Kimchi is a sour, crunchy Korean dish made from fermented cabbage. It contains several health-promoting nutrients, including probiotics, fiber, calcium, potassium, and vitamins A and C. Like other fermented foods, kimchi may help support a healthy gut microbiome.

New research suggests that kimchi may offer another benefit: helping support the immune system.

Kimchi May Help Ramp Up Immune System

A small randomized trial, published in npj Science of Food, examined how kimchi affected immune cells in 13 adults with overweight. Researchers found that participants who consumed kimchi powder showed some potentially beneficial changes in immune cell activity.

The results suggest kimchi may influence specific immune pathways and boost the activity of cells involved in detecting disease-causing agents and signaling to other immune cells. 

“In the case of the kimchi, it turns on, or ramps up, the immune system in a way that may help us fight infection, but this study was not designed to analyze that as an end point,” said Christian G Nageotte, MD, chief of allergy and immunology at Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital, who was not involved with the study.

Larger studies that include more diverse populations are needed to determine whether kimchi has similar effects in other people, he added.

Kimchi Breaks Down into Short-Chain Fatty Acids

There is not enough evidence to say that eating kimchi will keep you from getting sick, but it may help reduce inflammation and support your immune system.

One way kimchi and other probiotic foods impact immune health is through the development of short-chain fatty acids. Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) have been shown to help limit the growth of bad gut bacteria and protect against certain diseases.

“When kimchi is broken down in our gut, it creates short chain fatty acids, which circulate in our system and are an important marker of immune health, metabolic health broadly, and even reductions in inflammation,” Matthew Landry, PhD, RDN, an assistant professor of population health and disease prevention at UC Irvine, told Verywell.

Should Anyone Avoid Kimchi?

Kimchi and other fermented foods can help support gut microbiome diversity, encourage good digestion, and may lower type 2 diabetes risk.

However, kimchi is often high in sodium, which is not ideal for people who are managing their blood pressure. Those with seafood allergies should also be cautious, as many kimchi recipes contain fish paste or salted shrimp.

Fermented and fiber-rich foods can also trigger gastrointestinal discomfort in some people. Even though research has shown that kimchi can improve some symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), people with IBS or sensitive stomachs should start with a small amount and gradually add fermented foods to their diet, Landry said.

Try a Variety of Fermented Foods For Health Benefits

If you want to add more probiotic or fermented foods to your diet, and you tolerate them well, kimchi is a great place to start.

“It’s very easy to add to the diet. You can put it on top of a rice bowl or eat it just by itself,” Landry said.

Rather than focusing on one type of fermented food, consider adding several to your diet. Kimchi is not the only fermented food that offers immune benefits. “I wouldn’t necessarily put kimchi on a pedestal above the other fermented foods,” Landry said.

Kombucha, yogurt with live bacteria, and sauerkraut may also offer similar anti-inflammatory and immune-supporting effects.

Different kinds of fermented foods have different bacterial strains, and you may benefit from getting multiple varieties, he added.