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Category: Project

Description: This research project seeks to illuminate the relationship between live microbe consumption from fermented foods and overall systemic health within the Korean population. Despite growing evidence that such dietary habits, replete with live bacteria from products like yogurt and kimchi, confer significant health advantages—ranging from enhanced digestive health and nutrient absorption to bolstered immune responses and potential mitigation of chronic disease risks—there remains a lack of clarity regarding the variability in live microbe content across different fermented foods and its health impacts in relation to individual differences, including age, gender, health status, and diet. To address this gap, our study has been strategically designed with four principal objectives: Firstly, to measure the live microbe intake from various foods in the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), which has not been previously quantified. Secondly, to identify which foods are the primary sources of live microbes in the diet. Thirdly, we plan to leverage KNHANES data to assess potential correlations between live microbe ingestion and systemic health markers, such as Body Mass Index (BMI), blood lipid levels, Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), Framingham 10-year cardiovascular risk scores, and self-reported cardiovascular disease (CVD) diagnoses. Lastly, the project will examine the nuances of live microbe consumption across different demographics and dietary habits, delineated by factors such as gender, age, and the Korean Healthy Eating Index (KHEI) scores.