Kimchi prevents food poisoning ...

[Guest guest]

Another good reason to pack the kimchi on your

hike to the Rockies!

I personally think live kimchi also has lots of

bacteriophages (viruses that attack bacteria) ...

there are more phages in the environment than

any other lifeform, but they are mostly killed off

in the stuff we ingest (we sterilise the water and

most of our food). Some bacteria " host " phages

to attack other bacteria as a self-defense, so eating

live bacteria gives live phages.

.........................

Korean Scientists Say Kimchi Can Prevent Food Poisoning

Last year when the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) virus was taking its

toll in Asia, Korea remained free from the killer pneumonia though there were a

few suspected cases. Back then, Britain's Financial Times reported that large

amounts of garlic in Korea's spicy fermented dish, Kimchi, kept the virus at

bay. Though that theory has yet to be confirmed, it appears Kimchi is a healthy

dish indeed.

Korean scientists have discovered a breakthrough in preventing food poisoning.

They say lactic ferments in Kimchi, Korea's spicy vegetable dish, is a source of

an antibacterial substance found to be effective against harmful microbes such

as Helicobacter, Listeria and Shigella sonnei. Helicobacter is the cause of

gastritis and Listeria and Shigella can each cause flu-like symptoms and

diarrhea.

Scientists involved in the latest study say substances extracted from Kimchi

have a competitive edge against other existing antibiotics.

" There are controversies over existing antibiotics as they can be toxic and

people can grow tolerance against them. Whereas substances extracted from Kimchi

are safe for human bodies. " He added by cultivating lactic ferments from Kimchi,

mass production of antibiotics is also possible.

However, it is expected to take about five years before the latest innovation

can be applied to the medical industry as more clinical tests are needed. The

scientific team also plans to develop preservatives for foods and animal feed

after applying for patents at home and abroad.

Arirang TV

Copyright ©2004 DIGITAL CHOSUN

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200408/200408310015.html

Heidi Jean

[Guest guest]

At 01:47 PM 8/31/2004, you wrote:

>Another good reason to pack the kimchi on your

>hike to the Rockies!

>

>I personally think live kimchi also has lots of

>bacteriophages (viruses that attack bacteria) ...

>there are more phages in the environment than

>any other lifeform, but they are mostly killed off

>in the stuff we ingest (we sterilise the water and

>most of our food). Some bacteria " host " phages

>to attack other bacteria as a self-defense, so eating

>live bacteria gives live phages.

hey, cool! i've been doing this proactively, actually - whenever we eat raw

meat, just in case, i make sure we eat kimchi with it. well, we eat kimchi

at every meal, except breakfast, which is kefir, but still. the thinking

was, just in case there was anything in the meat, presto! kimchi will crowd

it out!

looks like it's real!

-katja