Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition's Molecular Metabolic Nutrition Laboratory suggested that Cheonggukjang, a traditional Korean fermented food, may promote the production of gut microbiota-derived metabolites and modulate the expression of related receptors and lipid metabolism in adipose tissue, thereby improving obesity-related metabolic disturbances.

The research was presented by undergraduate researcher Su-bin Lee (supervising Professor Anna Han), who recently received the Outstanding Paper Award at the 47th International Conference of the Korean Society of Food Science and Technology, held in 2026, under the theme "Future Food Systems: AI-Based Innovation."

A fourth-year student in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, the researcher has been active as an undergraduate researcher in the Molecular Metabolic Nutrition Laboratory since the second semester of the second year, steadily conducting research into the health functionalities of traditional jang products.

Previous studies have reported that Cheonggukjang may exert positive effects on various metabolic disorders by improving gut microbiota dysbiosis. However, research directly linking specific microbiota changes to alterations in metabolites and demonstrating how those metabolites affect metabolic responses in adipose tissue has been limited.

This study was recognized for its originality and novelty by extending the anti-obesity actions of Cheonggukjang beyond simple shifts in microbiota composition to analyze a molecular nutritional mechanism linking "gut microbiota – microbiota-derived metabolites – adipose tissue receptors and lipid metabolism."

The research team confirmed that Cheonggukjang promotes the production of gut microbiota-derived metabolites and that these metabolites can be linked to the regulation of receptor expression and lipid metabolism in adipose tissue. This finding is expected to provide new scientific evidence explaining the anti-obesity effects of Cheonggukjang.

This research was conducted as part of the "Traditional Jang Functional Characterization (Safety Monitoring) Project (2026)," jointly carried out by JBNU's Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition and the Fermentation Microorganisms Industry Promotion Foundation. The work is regarded as a concrete advancement in establishing the health functionalities and scientific basis of traditional fermented foods.

Su-bin Lee said, "The things I learned through conducting research and experiments with my professor and lab colleagues seem to have led to this outcome." She added, "I want to pursue graduate studies and continue in-depth research on new health functionalities of traditional jang products and the mechanisms of action that remain undiscovered."

Professor Anna Han said, "This is especially meaningful because it is a valuable result produced by a student who has pursued research diligently and consistently since her sophomore year. We will continue to accumulate scientific evidence for the health functionalities of traditional jang products and support basic scientific research that can underpin the globalization of K-jang products."