Kimchi Cancer Concern

I've been taking Korean cooking classes and been learning to make unique korean dishes.

I'm trying to impress this girl who I met at Korean church.

Lately I have been binging on korean kimchi which I can't stop because its so tasty

Friend who isn't Korean has been im'ing about food and we've been comparing cooking notes.

Well she said that I should stop eating Kimchi because it can cause intestinal cancer in the gut.

Does anyone know if this is true?

I'm really scared and I don't want to put my health at risk.

thanks

Nearly everything causes cancer these days.

If it was that bad everyone in Korea would have it right now.

Stuff like donuts, cookies, french fries and bacon are supposed to cause cancer too.

all of korea lives off the stuff and i don't think most of them suffer from intestinal cancer. i think you'll be safe eating kimchi...

pretty much everything can cause cancer to a degree.

the key is moderation.

isn't korean bodies different? They are better equipped to eat kimchi so i think their stomachs is stronger.

But remember I am Chinese so if I eat too much Kimchi my body might not be able to digest it????

you think so?

thx

You're not funny.

This isn't even a funny troll... Sorry, you failed.

no...there are many health benefits in eating kimchi. One of them is preventing the growth of cancer cells. So, you will be just fine. and it helps with your digestion and bowels movement too:)

loool its greentea!

(a bit off topic, but apparently kimchi is the reason sars didnt spread to korea & japan, the chilli somehow helps the immune system)

http://eating.health.com/2008/02/01/worlds-healthiest-foods-kimchi-korea/

I'm not sure who to believe, since all of my Korean friends try to convince me that kimchi is not at all healthy for you. Cx

This isn't amusing.You disappoint me.I had decent expectations.

The researchers, all South Korean, report that kimchi and other spicy and fermented foods could be linked to the most common cancer among Koreans. Rates of gastric cancer among Koreans and Japanese are 10 times higher than in the United States.

"We found that if you were a very, very heavy eater of kimchi, you had a 50% higher risk of getting stomach cancer," said Kim Heon of the department of preventive medicine at Chungbuk National University and one of the authors. "It is not that kimchi is not a healthy food — it is a healthy food, but in excessive quantities there are risk factors."

http://articles.latimes.com/2006/may/21/world/fg-kimchi21

Kimchi is good for you because it is a good source of probiotics (which means it has a lot of good bacteria that help fight bad bacteria). However, it is salty and spicy, and there is research showing that eating a lot of salty and spicy food can cause stomach cancer -- but this doesn't only apply to kimchi of course. I love kimchi but I know that it's really salty (like eating a serving of kimchi means you're consuming over your daily limit of sodium) so I try to not eat too much. Also, washing the kimchi with water a little before you eat it is also good practice.

http://articles.latimes.com/2006/may/21/world/fg-kimchi21

really? coz I went to korea and went to the kimchi museum. In the museum, there was a descroption of how kimchi was made and the benefits. One of it says that it prevents cell growth and contains good bacteria that can kill germs and clean off the toxins of your body. Now I am confused....

Uh. Well, I'm not too sure but if you eat too much spicy food when you're not used to it, you could burn a hole through your stomach. O_O

but isn't kimchi considers a kind of preservative foods? if it's so, preservative foods aren't good for health though. in japan, there are many preservative foods too such as takuan (my fave! preservative radish) but i am cutting down on those already... i assume you are not eating a whole big container of kimchi per day right? also, preservative foods are usually high in sodium.. kimchi is too right? cus i remember making it once.. too much salt required. hehe! hence, it's good to have it in moderation.

There's a belief that a combination of high levels of nitrates/sodium and pepper together in regular kimchi is what can cause gastric carcinogens.  Regardless, if you do anything in moderation, including eating kimchi, you should be fine.  I love kimchi but I don't eat it every day.  You can mix up your banchan to just eating namul, mul kimchi or a leafy salad with a light-soy dressing.

Anything in excess can be bad, even eating some vegetables. Eat too much corn and you can develop pellagra.  Too much citrus can cause skin eczema. Eat too much, too often and too rich you could develop the gout (as well as obesity, obviously).

I'm still going to eat kimchi but I'm gonna try and eat less.

I might wash it off a bit cause the sauce is really spicy which harbors all the sodium.

The only thing is i like to eat kimchi as a midnight snack so i dont usually eat it with rice

It's not the only food that can possibly cause cancer.

I heard that eating a lot of spicy + salty food in general can raise your risk of cancer in the stomach.

People who aren't Korean may be more prone to cancer in the stomach because they don't regularly eat kimchi.

really? I thought kimchi is suppose to be good for you?