NCT07435831

Brief Summary

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.

Trial Health

77
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
60

participants targeted

Target at P25-P50 for not_applicable

Timeline
43mo left

Started Mar 2026

Longer than P75 for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

2 active sites

Status
recruiting

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

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Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Progress4%
Mar 2026Dec 2029

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

December 22, 2025

Completed
2 months until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

February 27, 2026

Completed
1 month until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

March 30, 2026

Completed
10 months until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

January 30, 2027

Expected
2.8 years until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

December 1, 2029

Last Updated

April 2, 2026

Status Verified

April 1, 2026

Enrollment Period

10 months

First QC Date

December 22, 2025

Last Update Submit

April 1, 2026

Conditions

Healthy Adult Participants

Keywords

Healthy adultGI healthFermented food

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Change from baseline in fecal Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB)

    Baseline and week 3

Secondary Outcomes (7)

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

    Baseline and 3 weeks

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

    Baseline and 3 weeks

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

    Baseline and 3 weeks

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

    Baseline and 3 weeks

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

    Baseline and 3 weeks

  • +2 more secondary outcomes

Other Outcomes (5)

  • Body Mass Index (BMI)

    Baseline and 3 weeks

  • Dietary Records and nutritional analysis of Macronutrients

    Baseline, week 1 of intervention, week 3 of intervention

  • Dietary records and assessment of Fiber intake

    Baseline, weeks 1 and 3

  • +2 more other outcomes

Study Arms (2)

Kimchi

EXPERIMENTAL
Other: 60 grams per day of intervention food

Cabbage

ACTIVE COMPARATOR
Other: 60 grams per day of intervention food

Interventions

60 grams per day of intervention foodOTHER

Non-fermented cabbage

Cabbage

Eligibility Criteria

Age19 Years - 70 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersYes
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • 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

You may not qualify if:

  • 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

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (2)

Ragle Human Nutrition Center

Davis, California, 95616, United States

RECRUITING

UC Davis Ragle Human Nutrition Research Center

Davis, California, 95616, United States

RECRUITING

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
SINGLE
Who Masked
OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
Purpose
PREVENTION
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

December 22, 2025

First Posted

February 27, 2026

Study Start

March 30, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

January 30, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2029

Last Updated

April 2, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-04

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

Locations

US(2)