How is Kimchi or a high salt diet
linked to cancer?
updated on FEB 20, 2008
about kimchi
During the cold weather, cultivation was practically unavailable.
Consequently, Korean developed a method to pickle the vegatable -
kimchi in 7th century.
[Introduction to Korean Food, Tour2Kore a.com,
April 22, 2005]

Koreans possess a passionate fondness for kimchi, serving this
spicy fermented pickled vegetable dish at most meals. Kimchi
contains lots of vitamins, minerals and fibers. The major ingredient
of kimchi is Chinese cabbage. Other common ingredients include
cucumber dill pickles and reddish. Kimchi ferments in vegetable's
own juices. Kimchi is usually prepared in large qualities and packed
into huge jars and stored at low temperature. Most kimchi
preparations contain dried, ground or crushed hot pepper. By
adjusting the amount of hot pepper or even adding sweet paprika
and cayenne, you can achieve the kimchi spiciness that you like.
[Korean Cabbage kimchi, fabulousfoods.co m, April 22, 2005]

ISSUE-Red pepper/high salt diet associated
with cancer.
Most people believe that kimchi is healthy, as kimchi contains lots of
vitamins and anti-oxidants. However, as early as
1985, Kim JP has
noticed the correlation between red pepper/high salt diet and
gastric carcinogenesis (i.e. stomach cancer) in their animal study

[Co-carcinogenic effects of several Korean food on gastric cancer induced
by N-methyl-N'-nitrosoguanidine in rats. Jpn J Surg. 1985
Nov;15(6):427-37].

VERIFICATION-Kimchi associated with
cancer?
A MORE OBSERVATIONS ON KIMCHI LINKED TO CANCER
In late 1990s, Ahn Yo from Seoul National University College of
Medicine, Korea, observed that stomach cancer was the most
prevalent malignant neoplasm in Korea. He noted an increased risk
of stomach cancer was among those who frequently had broiled
meats and fishes, pickled vegetables, salted side dishes and salty
stewed foods, such as soybean paste thick stew as their meals. On
the other heand, Dr. Ahn Yo reported that ginseng intake could
decrease the risk of gastric cancer in his review article.
[Diet and
stomach cancer in Korea, Int J Cancer. 1997;Suppl 10:7-9]

Gomez SL et al, Northern California Cancer Center, CA, compared
the rates of stomach cancers among Korean, Korean American and
Caucasian American. They found that the Korean in Korea have the
highest rate for stomach cancers and the Caucasian Americans
have the lowest rate.
[Cancer Causes Control. 2003 Mar; 14 (2):167-74]

B. CLINICAL STUDIES TO CHECK IF KIMCHI LINKED TO STOMACH
CANCER
In 1990-1995, Lee JK et al at Hanyang University, Korea also
investigated how the dietary factors in Korean food related to
Stomach cancer. They recruited 213 patients with stomach cancer
and 213 subjects as controls. They found that increased risk of
stomach cancer was associated with consumption of stewed foods
(such as soybean paste stew and hot pepper-soybean stew,
broiled fish) and salty foods (including pickled vegetables). They
concluded that heavy salt consumption and cooking methods like
broiling and salting seem to play a major role in gastric
carcinogenesis among Koreans.
[Dietary factor and stomach cancer: a
case study in Korea Int J Epidemiol. 1995 Feb;24(1):33-41
]

In 2003, Lee SA et al from Seoul National University, Korea recruited
69 patients diagnosed with early gastric cancer and 199 healthy
subjects as controls. They assayed helicobacter pylori infection and
interviewed the subjects on dietary habits. They found  a high
intake of salt-fermented fish and kimchi associated with an elevated
risk of early gastric cancer. Subjects with positive H. pylori infection
and a high salty preference had a 10-fold higher risk of early gastric
cancer than subjects without H. pylori infection and with a low salty
preference.
[Effect of diet and Helicobacter pylori infection to the risk of
early gastric cancer, J Epidemiol. 2003 May;13(3):162-8].

While Kim HJ et al from University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
concluded that that the risk of gastric cancer decreased with high
consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits, whereas high
consumption of foods rich in nitrate and carcinogenic substances
produced during the cooking process increased the risk of gastric
cancer from their clinical studies
[Dietary factor and gastric cancer in
Korea: a case-control study. Int J Cancer. 2002 Feb 1;97(4):531-5].

INVESTIGATION-What chemicals?
Seel DJ et al, Presbyterian Medical Center, Korea, analyzed two
traditional and widely consumed home-prepared food products,
salted pickled cabbage (kimchi) and salted seafood sauce (chut-kal)
(a) for nitrite, nitrate, total secondary amines and pH in these food
products prior to nitrite incubation and (b) for volatile nitrosamines
and total N-nitroso compounds before and after incubation with
nitrite in simulated human stomach conditions.  They found that the
nitrate levels were significantly higher in kimchi (median 1550
mg/kg) than in chut-kal (median 140 mg/kg) (P < 0.001).  After
nitrosation, the demonstration of high levels of total N-nitroso
compounds in kimchi and the high volume of kimchi comsumption in
Korea, Seel DJ believed that kimchi may play a role in gastric
carcinogenesis in Southwest Korea.,  
[N-nitroso compounds in two
nitrosated food products in southwest Korea. Food Chem Toxicol. 1994
Dec;32(12):1117-23
]

Kim YK et al, Seoul National University, Korea, considered ethyl
carbamate was associated with cancer and this chemical was mainly
found in fermented foods and beverages. They determined
ethyl
carbamate concentrations
in some of the staple food items and
estimated the daily intake for the Korean population to be 2.8
micrograms/day. They considered the amount is not negligible. They
suggested that it is necessary to reduce the daily intake of these
products
[ Determination of ethyl carbamate in some fermented Korean
foods and beverages. Food Addit Contam. 2000 Jun; 17 (6): 469
]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OTHER FINDINGS- Kimchi had anti-tumor
agent
Park KY et al, Pusan National University, Korea, on the other hand,
said that the Korean fermented vegetable food, kimchi, has been
demonstrated to have anticancer functional properties! They
prepared
methanol extracts of commercially grown baechu
cabbage kimchi and organically grown baechu cabbage kimchi. They
"identified" the anticancer agent and it was beta-sitosterol.

Since, beta-sitosterol demonstrated anti-tumor properties in some
other studies. Consequently, Park KY et al mentioned that they had
presented a convincing evidence for the "anti-cancer properties" of  
kimchi in their article.
[J Med Food. 2003 Fall;6(3):151-6].
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CONCLUSION Does kimchi cause cancer?
According to Seel and Kim groups' reports, the key issue is that the
concentrations of nitrate/ethyl carbamate are too high. Will their
comments still be valid if we consume only a small amount of kimchi?
IMPORTANT NEWS - Nov 3 2005
Korea FDA found 16 out of 502 domestic kimchi products containing
roundworm eggs. The products are from different companies. The
parasite eggs are believed to have come from excrement of cats
and dogs raised in the farms. [Parasite eggs found in's Korean
Kimchi products. Asia Pulse News, November 3, 2005 ]
[
Kisaengchunghak Chapchi Action of serveral chemicals on the parasites
eggs and larvae in Korean Pickle(Kimchi) 1966 Aug;4(1):47-51
]
--------------------------------------------------------------
-
COMMENTS FROM VISITORS

From: b_XXXXX@XXX.net  
Date: Fri, 06 Jan 2006 21:56:21 +0000

My ex-husband is a XXX and two of my brother-in-laws died of
stomach cancer within 10 years of each other.  Now that our son is
in his 20's, I am very concerned that he does not have any issues
with this.  It was a very difficult and painful death for them, and I
would not wish it on anyone.  Only by looking at these sorts of
things can we start to piece together the puzzle of cancer.  I always
thought there must be a diet component.  The two surviving
brothers and one sister did not live as long in XXX, but left at earlier
ages.  I wonder if that somehow made them likely to suffer from
this.  Thanks for adding this info to the internet!

From:  Barry XXX  URL =          HOST: 69.XXX.XX.XX             
DATE: 12-23-05

You're an idiot to publish this shit. The broiled meat might hold
some weight, but cabbage? Come on.....The fat XXXX shoving a
XXXX in her face is the one you need to be worried about. Go back
and re-study.

SEND YOUR COMMENT TO ZHION@ZHION.COM                       
                       
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THIS KIMCHI REVIEW ARTICLE IS FOR YOUR REFERENCE ONLY. IF YOU
HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, YOU SHOULD CONSULT WITH YOUR DOCTOR. ALL
RIGHTS RESERVED 2006
      
MUST READ

Kimchi and soybean
pastes are risk factors of
gastric cancer.

Researchers from Chungbuk
National University, Korea,
investigated the food intake
pattern and cytochrome profiles of
421 gastric cancer patients and
concluded that consumption of
kimchi and soybean pastes was
associated with increased risk of
gastric cancer.

Nan HM. et al. Chungbuk National
University, Korea, World J
Gastroenterol. 2005 Jun 7;
11(21):3175-81.
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