Kimchi protects against COVID-19, a study says

Recent study has pointed to kimchi for low COVID-19 fatality rates of South Korea. According to the British newspaper The Sun, Dr. Jean Bousquet, honorary professor of Pulmonary Medicine at Montpellier University, France, and his team studied a link between low fatalities and national dietary differences and found that countries where fermented cabbage forms a key part of their diet have had lower fatalities.

Fermented cabbage helps decrease levels of ACE2, an enzyme in the cell membrane mostly found in lungs that is used by COVID-19 as an entry point into the body. Consuming high levels of fermented cabbage brings down the number of ACE2, making it more difficult for the virus to enter the body. High in antioxidants, fermented cabbage is also good for boosting immunity.

The research team also paid attention to Germany’s sauerkraut, which is finely cut cabbage fermented in salt and often served with sausages. The cumulative confirmed cases in South Korea and Germany stood at 13,612 and 201,252 as of Thursday, respectively, with only 291 and 9,148 deaths which translate to death rates of 2.14 percent and 4.55 percent. Fatalities were much higher in countries where fermented cabbage is not a staple diet such […]

View full article at www.donga.com