By Park Chung-a
Staff Reporter
A fermented soybean paste, called ``cheonggukjang,’’ could prove effective in preventing adult diabetes, according to local researchers.
A research team led by Kwon Dae-young of the Korea Food Research Institute and Park Sun-min, a food and nutrition professor at Hoseo University, has recently announced its finding that the traditional Korean fermented soy bean paste could be effective in preventing type-2 diabetes by stimulating the section of insulin, the blood sugar controller.
Type-2 diabetes, which mainly affects adults, occurs when the body does not respond correctly to insulin. Type-1 diabetes is caused by the body’s failure to secret insulin. Obese people are vulnerable to type-2 diabetes, since fat-related materials block insulin from functioning. Type-2 diabetes patients do not secret a sufficient amount of insulin.
According to the study, the amount of anti-oxidation material polyphenol and good protein peptides increases in cheonggukjang as fermentation progresses.
^When these materials were injected into a mouse with type-2 diabetes, insulin secretion was boosted and the number of cells needed to secret insulin grew in the pancreas.
``This research proves that cheonggukjang helps one to prevent from type-2 diseases,’’ said Kwon. ``It has provided the scientific evidence to show the greatness of our traditional fermented food and will support its globalization,’’ he said.
Cheonggukjang is a fermented soybean paste used in Korean cuisine. It contains whole as well as ground soybeans and is similar to Japanese natto and Korean doenjang.
It is made by fermenting boiled soybeans in a warm place, pounding a part of them and adding salt and powdered red pepper.
Cheonggukjang has traditionally been considered to be a healthy food, as it is rich in vitamins and other nutrients, though its very strong odor is not universally enjoyed.