Kimchi can add another health benefit to its rising popularity as the fermented vegetable dish was found to have lactic acid bacteria promoting male and female hair growth, Cheil Hospital제일병원 said Friday.

Professors Seo Joo-tae서주태 and Lee Hyo-seok이효석 of the Department of Urology at Cheil Hospital measured the changes in the number and thickness of hair after giving kimchi lactic acid bacteria to 46 people --23 men and 23 women with hair loss, from January to June.

Results for number and thickness of hair

As a result, the number of hairs increased from 85.98 (± 20.54) to 91.54 (± 16.26) from all pores after four months of administration and the thickness of three hairs from different pores increased from 0.062 (± 0.011) mm to 0.066 (± 0.009) on average, which proved statistically significant effects (P-value <0.001).

Researchers had reported that kimchi lactic acid bacteria effectively reduce lipids in the blood vessels and increase blood flow in peripheral blood vessels to promote hair growth in animal experiments.

"Recently, research on microbiology, probiotics, which are beneficial to the human body, has been actively conducted, and it seems to be a meaningful study confirming the new possibility of hair loss treatment," said Professor Seo. “Further studies are needed to demonstrate the effects of male hormone-induced hair loss and treatment.”

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