“Gochujang, Not Just Flavor—Can It Also Prevent Cancer?”

Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition's Molecular Metabolism and Nutrition Laboratory has scientifically demonstrated that gochujang, a traditional Korean fermented food, can suppress the development of colorectal cancer and alleviate intestinal inflammatory responses.

Undergraduate researcher Jin-Young Baek of the laboratory (supervisor: Professor Anna Han) received the Outstanding Poster Award for this research at the 2025 Annual Conference of the Korean Society of Food and Nutrition Science. Remarkably, she is a fourth-year undergraduate student.

While gochujang's anticancer effects had mainly been reported at the cellular level, the JBNU research team showed through animal experiments that gochujang consumption actually suppresses tumor formation and improves associated molecular metabolic mechanisms.

They also proposed a molecular mechanism in which gochujang modulates the gut microbiota and induces changes in metabolic byproducts that contribute to tumor growth inhibition, drawing attention from the academic community.

This research was conducted as part of the "Project to Elucidate the Functional Properties of Traditional Fermented Condiments (Safety Monitoring) (2025)," jointly carried out by the JBNU Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition and the Fermentation Microbial Industry Promotion Foundation. It is regarded as a concrete achievement in defining the health functions of traditional fermented foods and their scientific evidence.

Researcher Jin-Young Baek said, “I have been steadily researching the physiological activities of traditional fermented condiments since my undergraduate years. I am pleased that this award has borne fruit for my efforts. After entering graduate school next year, I would like to pursue deeper research into new health functions of traditional fermented condiments and their related molecular metabolic nutrition mechanisms.”

Professor Anna Han, the supervising professor, emphasized, “This study is significant because it elucidates the anticancer mechanisms of gochujang beyond the cellular level at the animal level and simultaneously demonstrates effects on the regulation of the gut microbial ecosystem. As K-food and K-fermented condiments gain global attention, this research, which scientifically validates the functionality of gochujang internationally, holds very high academic and industrial value.”