Gochujang Consumption Prevents Metabolic Syndrome in a High-Fat Diet Induced Obese Mouse Model

High-fat and high-salt diets are risk factors for metabolic syndrome development. However, gochujang, which has a high salt content, possesses antiobesity properties in cell and animal models. We aimed to evaluate the effects of Sunchang traditional and modern factory produced gochujang on metabolic syndrome factors in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice. For 14 weeks, 4-week-old C57BL/6J male mice were separated into five groups and fed a normal diet (ND), a high-fat diet only (HD), a HD with salt (SALT), a HD with traditional Sunchang gochujang (TS), and HD with modern factory made Sunchang gochujang (FS). Compared to HD and SALT groups, the gochujang groups had lower body weight, blood leptin, and insulin levels with reduced Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) index and improved serum and liver lipid profiles. In addition, gochujang supplemented groups exhibited a significant reduction in mRNA expression of anabolic lipid metabolism related factors; PPARγ, CEBPα, and FABP4, and a significant increase in mRNA expression of energy expenditure-related factors; PPARα and CPT1. Protein expressions of SREBP1 were downregulated in the gochujang fed groups. TS and FS intakes improved obesity in HFD-induced obese mice. Compared to the gochujang groups, the SALT group did not exhibit any of those benefits suggesting that the high salt content of gochujang has different effects compared with added salt alone. Our findings provide evidence that gochujang could be a functional food to attenuate metabolic syndrome.