Effects of kimchi supplementation on blood pressure and cardiac hypertrophy with varying sodium content in spontaneously hypertensive rats.
- Author:
Seung Min LEE
1
;
Yoonsu CHO
;
Hye Kyung CHUNG
;
Dong Hyuk SHIN
;
Woel Kyu HA
;
Sang Chul LEE
;
Min Jeong SHIN
Author Information
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords: Blood pressure; kimchi; sodium; cardiac hypertrophy; SHR
- MeSH: Alanine Transaminase; Aldosterone; Animals; Aspartate Aminotransferases; Blood Pressure; Blood Urea Nitrogen; Brassica; Cardiomegaly; Creatinine; Diet; Heart; Heart Ventricles; Myocytes, Cardiac; Potassium; Rats; Rats, Inbred SHR; Rats, Inbred WKY; Sodium; Weights and Measures
- From:Nutrition Research and Practice 2012;6(4):315-321
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: We tested the effects of dietary intake of freeze-dried Korean traditional fermented cabbage (generally known as kimchi) with varying amounts of sodium on blood pressure and cardiac hypertrophy in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY), as a control group, received a regular AIN-76 diet, and the SHRs were divided into four groups. The SHR group was fed a regular diet without kimchi supplementation, the SHR-L group was fed the regular diet supplemented with low sodium kimchi containing 1.4% salt by wet weight, which was provided in a freeze-dried form, the SHR-M group was supplemented with medium levels of sodium kimchi containing 2.4% salt, and the SHR-H group was supplemented with high sodium kimchi containing 3.0% salt. Blood pressure was measured over 6 weeks, and cardiac hypertrophy was examined by measuring heart and left ventricle weights and cardiac histology. SHRs showed higher blood pressure compared to that in WKY rats, which was further elevated by consuming high sodium containing kimchi but was not influenced by supplementing with low sodium kimchi. None of the SHR groups showed significant differences in cardiac and left ventricular mass or cardiomyocyte size. Levels of serum biochemical parameters, including blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase, glutamic-pyruvic transaminase, sodium, and potassium were not different among the groups. Elevations in serum levels of aldosterone in SHR rats decreased in the low sodium kimchi group. These results suggest that consuming low sodium kimchi may not adversely affect blood pressure and cardiac function even under a hypertensive condition.
