Kimchi and Cancer by Dr. Joseph C. Kim

When we speak of addiction, we must differentiate between physiologic addiction vs. psychologic addiction. In many instances, we see a combination of both physiologic and psychologic addiction. Many Koreans will tell you that they're addicted to kimchi. They're not usually referring to a physiologic addiction. They're probably not going to experience withdrawal symptoms if they stop eating kimchi. Kimchi can be addictive. Then again, almost anything can be addictive if we're just referring to a psychological addiction. We can convince our minds that we are addicted to anything.

I love eating kimchi. However, each year I have decreased my consumption to reduce my risk of developing cancer. Don't eat too much kimchi. Otherwise, you may regret it. Does kimchi cause cancer? I think that it could in certain people who have certain genetic risk factors. The problem today is that we don't know what those risk factors are. We don't know if we have those risk factors. All of that may change in the future. For now, we must consider the risk before we eat too much kimchi.

Most people think of kimchi as a common Korean side dish. You eat it with rice. You eat it with meat. You can also cook with kimchi and make some delicious dishes. Soups and stews. Kimchi chigae. Or, you can fry it with fried rice. Kimchi fried rice. You can add some rice cake. Cooked kimchi tends to taste different. I'm Joseph C. Kim and I enjoy eating cooked kimchi.

Kimchi is hot and spicy. It uses a red pepper powder called gochugaru. It will burn your lips!

I'm Joseph C Kim and I eat kimchi. I'm also Korean and I hope that I don't get cancer from eating so much kimchi. I worry sometimes. What am I supposed to do? Stop eating kimchi?

What does it mean to be addicted to kimchi? People use the word "addiction" loosely sometimes. Can you live without kimchi? Sure. Will you experience physiologic withdrawal symptoms if you don't eat kimchi? Probably not. You may experience some psychological symptoms, but they will eventually pass. I love kimchi and I couldn't imagine life without it. But, eventually we all learn to cope, don't we?

Kimchi just wouldn't be kimchi if it wasn't spicy. Kimchi has to be hot. It should make your mouth burn. Like fire. Could that really be good for you? If it hurts that much, maybe it's damaging our cells and causing harm? Do you eat kimchi?

Are you a Korean with cancer? Did kimchi cause your cancer? Perhaps someday we'll find a kimchi cancer registry. That's the kind of data we'll really need to show the connection between kimchi and cancer.

Why do Korean men get stomach cancer? Is kimchi a culprit? Possibly. But, there are other reasons that contribute to Korean men getting stomach cancer. They include: 1. H Pylori infection. This can be treated with medications. 2. Alcohol consumption. Many Korean men drink heavily, especially in social and business situations. 3. Smoking. A huge percentage of Korean men smoke. When you combine these factors, they form the right ingredients to cause cancer to form in the stomach. Of course, there are also genetic or hereditary factors that contribute. Don't drink. Don't smoke.