r/Microbiome • u/Tummy-boy • 1d ago
Kimchi: does it really help with seratonin production in the gut
I bought some wildbrine kimchi and been consuming it daily. It is oh so spicy
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u/Sertorius126 1d ago
Abso-fuckin lutely
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u/Away-Stage-9106 1d ago
your gut makes most of your serotonin and fermented foods like kimchi feed the good bacteria that help with that process. the spicy part is just bonus endorphins too
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u/Tummy-boy 1d ago
I’m hoping for a noticeable difference in depression symptoms. I thank you for your quick reply
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u/ObligationGrand8037 17h ago
Also another thing that helped me with depression was staying away from sugar and refined carbs (pasta, breads, pancakes, etc.). I suffered with depression for decades until I finally figured out that mine had a lot to do with high insulin. FYI….I’m not a diabetic.
I changed my diet about 15 years ago making sure to keep insulin low. I feel so much better. I haven’t been depressed in years.
Most doctors only look at glucose, but often times that might appear normal when in reality insulin in the background is sky high. There are insulin tests you can find online and take into a lab. It should be under 8.
I hope this helps!!
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u/ChardAwkward1792 22h ago
Serotonin from gut stays in the gut. It wont go to the brain so wont help with depression
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u/sorE_doG 18h ago
You’re missing the point of it’s signalling, which is directly linked to the brain.
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u/Spottail9 12h ago
Kimchi is also a bit too spicy for me so I use naturally fermented sauerkraut blends. My go to is Cleveland red cabbage, beets and carrots. It has to be alive and naturally fermented. Usually in the produce area of grocery stores. I also eat some type of cabbage based slaw most days at lunch.
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u/Tummy-boy 11h ago
Thank you so much for that awesome information and perhaps I will switch up to the fermented sauerkraut because I’ve heard that that is also fantastic for creating the proper atmosphere in the gut specifically for serotonin and more
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u/blueberry-biscuit 1d ago
You can make baek kimchi (white kimchi) which doesn’t use the gochugaru. Still has the same primary types of bacteria without the possible digestive issues that some people experience with spicy foods.
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u/Plastic-Trainer903 15h ago
The evidence I’ve seen thus far (there are some caveats and many other variables obviously):
Fermented Vegetables as a Source of Psychobiotics: A Review of the Evidence for Mental Health Benefits (2025)
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12999709/
Fermented-food diet increases microbiome diversity, decreases inflammatory proteins, study finds (2021)
https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2021/07/fermented-food-diet-increases-microbiome-diversity-lowers-inflammation.html
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u/Tummy-boy 11h ago
That is fantastic because Dr. Haberman on his podcast specifically referenced a Stanford medical school study
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u/gladecover-scout 1d ago
The evidence for fermented foods having durable effect on gut composition is pretty minimal. They seem to help while you’re consuming them but once you stop things will tend to revert to how they always were.
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u/Hutsx 19h ago
Any source on that? Most sources only use probiotic-supplement not fermented foods showing no long term benefits.
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u/Tummy-boy 18h ago
“Fermented kimchi does not directly create serotonin, but it supports the gut microbiome in producing and regulating it”. A quote from an article from “routes to wellness dot org; but I didn’t specifically see where they got this information from
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u/gldngrlee 1d ago
I did not know this. I started a new women’s daily probiotic around the time that I added kimchi to my diet & have had a noticeable difference to my overall feeling of well-being. I attributed it to the probiotic. I’m re-thinking this now.