The Little-Known Health Benefits of Japanese Miso Soup
As people seek to understand the many mysteries of human health, wisdom passed down from historical and cultural traditions is also worth exploring.
Different cultures have their own unique understanding of health that is often overlooked while much has slowly been lost over time—among them, the health benefits of Japanese miso.
Miso contains probiotics, which help to strengthen the immune system, and now research even shows that it can provide some protection against radiation.
Miso is an everyday soup in Japan. Miso constitutes a probiotic that can help with digestion, and it also strengthens the immune system. It’s fair to say it’s good for the overall well-being of our bodies.
Fighting Harmful Radiation Effects
In addition to the benefits mentioned above, Miso has another health benefit unknown to most people—it has the ability to aid the body in fighting the harmful effects of radiation.
How was this discovered? It goes back to when the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki during World War II. There was a doctor at that time named Tatsuichiro Akizuki who worked at a hospital less than a mile from the explosion site and was helping those suffering from nuclear radiation. Dr. Akizuki saw that the hospital stored a lot of miso, soy sauce, brown rice, and seaweed, so he made soup for his colleagues, and surprisingly, none of them appeared to suffer from the radiation.
Dr. Akizuki wrote about those experiences in his book “The Nagasaki Nuclear Bombing,” which was later translated into English.
During the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine on April 26, 1986, many Europeans consumed miso soup as a preventive measure against radiation diseases, and the export of miso from Japan rose steadily.
Inspired by what Dr. Akizuki found, Dr. Atsumitsu Watanabe, a researcher in medical sciences at the Institute of Radiobiology and Medicine, Hiroshima University, published an experimental study in the “Journal of Toxicologic Pathology” in 2013, demonstrating the effectiveness of miso as a preventive measure against harmful radiation.
In the experiment, three groups of mice were fed with miso, rock salt at the same salt concentration as miso, and regular feed for one week before being exposed to radiation.
It was found that the number of new intestinal crypts in the mice with a miso diet increased significantly after radiation exposure, so it was concluded that miso helped to protect against radiation damage. The same phenomenon did not occur in the two groups of mice fed with salt and regular feed, which meant that there was no protection against radiation.
Miso Fermentation
Another study also found that the fermentation period of miso also plays a part. The study showed that the longer the fermentation period, the greater the protective effect against radiation.
At least 180 days of fermentation is required, and the miso needs to be consumed before exposure to radiation, such as before going to the hospital for an X-ray or a CT scan, in order to help reduce radiation damage.
However, the effect of miso varies depending on the level of radiation exposure. In addition, Dr. Watanabe has found in other experiments that miso can also help prevent stomach cancer, colon cancer, liver cancer, breast cancer, and so on.
So why is miso able to protect our bodies from radiation? Some studies suggest that miso contains an alkaloid called dipicolinic acid, which helps to detoxify the body and to facilitate the removal of heavy metals from the body.
Raising Serotonin Levels
Miso contains essential amino acids and vitamins that can strengthen the immune system, aid digestion, and promote the secretion of serotonin, also known as the “happy hormone.”
Approximately 90 percent of the body’s total serotonin is found in the chromophores of the gastrointestinal tract and is used to regulate gastrointestinal motility.
The rest of the serotonin is found in the central nervous system and can be created by the neurons, which have functions such as regulating mood, appetite, and sleep. Serotonin also affects some of our cognitive functions, including memory and learning.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter in the brain that is associated with our concentration, mood, and autonomic balance. If the serotonin levels are too low, there are risks of memory loss, depression, insomnia, headaches, difficulties in concentration, and depression.
Miso is able to raise the serotonin levels in our body, which means that it can prevent and improve such symptoms above. Miso is also rich in amino acids which help protect our skin, hair, organs, muscles, bones, blood, and essentially our whole body.
Origins of Miso
Miso originated in China and was first introduced to Japan over 1,200 years ago during the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD) in China.
Monks and scholars traveled to Japan at the time and brought miso to the Japanese nobles and royals and also served it in the temples. At that time, miso was in a dried, rock-like state.
Later, the monks in the temples mashed it up and added water to it in order to turn the miso into a seasoning sauce. Slowly, during the Edo period under the Tokugawa Shogunate from the 15th to the 19th century, the samurais developed a habit of drinking miso soup at home.
During Japan’s Sengoku period about 500 years ago, miso soup was an important source of nutrition for soldiers, and it was greatly valued.
However, it had not yet reached the common people until the later Edo period, when the “Honcho Shokkan”, or Japan’s encyclopedia on traditional herbal medicine, popularized the knowledge of miso’s medicinal properties and cooking methods in common Japanese homes. This book also popularised the traditional belief that “food and medicine share the same origin.”
In addition, people in the Edo period began to learn to eat for health, resulting in a large number of recipes for health and beauty.
“Honcho Shokkan” stated that the fermented soybeans in miso were the first of all medicines, as it could regulate the blood and karma, soothing the stomach and intestines. It also detoxifies the body, aids digestion, and restores vitality.
Making Miso
The ingredients used in making miso are soybeans, rice, wheat, brown rice, barley, or chickpea. Traditionally, soybeans are boiled and rubbed out before adding rock salt, and after rubbing well, rice or wheat monascus is added. Finally, the miso is left in a wooden barrel to seal and ferment.
The fermentation time varies from several months to several years. After the miso is fermented properly, a layer of moldy black bean paste is removed from the surface in order to achieve a fragrant and thick miso texture.
Furthermore, fermented soybean products include miso, natto, tempeh, and tamari, which is the easily digestible soy sauce produced during the miso-making process.
Cheryl’s Advice Enjoying Miso Soup
Adding miso to our daily diet is truly good for our health. I usually choose organic, high-quality miso, and if it says “Made in Japan” on the box, it is usually a guarantee of quality. There are two main types of miso, one is dark red with a stronger and more salty taste. The other is white, or light yellow, with a lighter and slightly sweet taste.
The most important thing to remember is that miso contains a lot of probiotics, and probiotics are sensitive to high temperatures. So it is important to make sure that you do not heat the miso to over 120°F, and over 160°F may destroy its nutritional value completely.
Normally, you would not put the miso directly into the soup, instead, you would premix the miso separately into a sauce and then add the sauce to a hot vegetable or seaweed soup. After settling the soup for around 10 minutes, it would be ready for serving.
Note that you should not be adding too much miso paste. Generally, you only add enough miso to give the soup a light, fragrant smell. An even more therapeutic way to enjoy miso is actually without any salt.
Also, in fine Japanese restaurants, miso soup is usually served in a bowl with a lid, as it preserves the flavor of miso, keeping its color and its fragrant smell.
In addition to making miso soup, miso can also be used to make salad dressing. One of my favorite miso salad dressings is actually very simple. You need only about a tablespoon of miso, a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, and just the right amount of water to thin out the miso. I would add some avocados and sometimes fresh figs. The saltiness can be adjusted by adding some MSG. Apple cider vinegar will actually bring out the saltiness of the miso, in addition to the acidity. You can feel free to adjust the amounts to your personal liking. Remember also to add olive oil if the salad dressing is for vegetables, just as you would for a regular salad dressing.
Anyway, having said all that, I still would encourage you to be more creative in using miso in your daily diet.
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Cheryl Ng is a senior editor for the Chinese edition of The Epoch Times and the host of an online news program, with over two decades of experience.
Cheryl enjoys studying alternative therapies in her spare time. She studied macrobiotic Chinese food therapy at the (now-closed) Kushi Institute in Massachusetts, USA.
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