Protein ‘Hongjam‘ is attracting attention as a functional diet material.

There are a lot of advertisements for diet supplements these days, but it is rare to find material that clearly shows the evidence for “real weight loss.” However, ‘Hongjam’, which is made by steaming silkworms at the time when protein is at its peak, has come one step closer to becoming a functional food material for weight control, as results have been shown in animal tests for obesity and human application tests to simultaneously lower body weight and fatty liver indicators. The Rural Development Administration announced on the 4th that it had scientifically confirmed the weight loss effect, mechanism of action, and active substances of red ginseng.

Hongjam is a powder material made by steaming and freeze-drying ‘ripe silkworms’, whose bodies are full of silk protein, just before the silkworm builds a cocoon. More than 70% of the nutrients are composed of protein, and it is characterized by being rich in key amino acids of silk protein such as glycine, serine, and alanine. There is not much fat, around 15%, and the proportion of unsaturated fatty acids such as linolenic acid and oleic acid is high.

◈ Obese mice reduce weight gain by 17% and liver fat also ‘drops’

The Rural Development Administration, together with the research team at CHA Medical Science University, conducted an experiment in which rats that had been induced to become obese with high-fat feed were fed red ginseng for 12 weeks. As a result, the average weight gain of obese mice was 30.37 g, but the weight gain of obese mice that consumed red ginseng decreased by about 17% to 25.25 g.

Changes were confirmed not only in weight but also in liver indicators. In rats fed red ginseng, liver neutral lipids decreased by 56.1% and liver cholesterol decreased by 41.8%, showing that the fat accumulated in the liver itself decreased.

The researchers believed that the key to weight loss was ‘improvement in liver lipid metabolism.’ The explanation is that red ginseng inhibits fat synthesis and promotes fat consumption by acting on the metabolic control receptor ‘GPR35’ in the hepatocyte cell membrane, thereby reducing the amount of fat accumulated in the liver.

◈ The active substance is ‘amino acid repeat peptide’… Fat accumulation reduced by nearly 35%

The main active substances that affect liver lipid metabolism were also identified in red jam. It is a peptide in the form of repeated glycine, serine, and alanine. When this peptide was treated with fat-accumulating cells, the fat content decreased by 34.9%. The researchers believe that the peptide improved lipid metabolism by increasing the activity of the GPR35 downstream signaling gene (AMPK) and led to the effect of suppressing fatty liver disease.

◈ Weight and BMI decreased in human tests… The effect is greater in the obese fatty liver group.

Human application tests were also conducted based on the preclinical results. As a result of 72 adults recruited by Chonbuk National University Hospital and Wonkwang University Jeonju Oriental Medicine Hospital consuming 1.2g of red persimmon powder per day for 12 weeks, the body weight of the red persimmon intake group decreased by an average of 0.9 kg (about 1.1%) and body mass index (BMI) by 0.3 kg/㎡ (about 1.1%).

In particular, the decrease was more pronounced in the group of participants with ‘obesity-type fatty liver disease’, and a tendency for the effect to increase the longer the period of use was confirmed. The Rural Development Administration explained that the safety of the material was also checked as no adverse reactions related to liver function were observed during the test period. The research team even completed a patent application for the related information.

Based on these results, the Rural Development Administration plans to organize the standards, specifications and safety and functionality data of red ginseng and promote recognition as a health functional food raw material at home and abroad. At the same time, industrialization research will continue to provide a stable supply of raw materials and protect domestic sericulture farms by developing genetic markers that distinguish domestic silkworm breeds and establishing automated breeding technology.

The Rural Development Administration believes that as the obesity rate among adults in Korea has steadily risen and the related market is growing, Hongjam has confirmed its potential as a new functional material that can target both weight control and fatty liver improvement.

Bang Hye-seon, head of the Agricultural and Biological Department at the Rural Development Administration, said, “We confirmed the weight loss effect and safety through animal and human testing,” and added, “Based on the efficacy of red ginseng that has been revealed so far, we will establish a foundation for functional food materialization and industrialization.”

Table of Contents

• 1. Okay, here’s a breakdown of the information provided, categorized for clarity. This is essentially a summary of a weight loss/health protocol called “Lee Garu,” along with supporting evidence.
• 2. Lee Garu’s 17% Weight‑Loss Claim Set to Shake Up the Diet Industry
• 3. What the 17% Claim Means for Consumers
• 4. Core Components of the Lee Garu Program
• 5. 1. Metabolic‑Reset Meal Plan (MRMP)
• 6. 2. Structured Intermittent Fasting (SIF)
• 7. 3. Micro‑Biome Targeted Probiotic Blend
• 8. 4. High‑Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) Blueprint
• 9. Scientific Backing & Real‑World Evidence
• 10. Peer‑Reviewed Trials
• 11. Media‑Verified Success stories
• 12. Benefits Beyond the Scale
• 13. Practical Tips for Maximizing the 17 % Outcome
• 14. Common Misconceptions & How to Address Them
• 15. Potential Risks & Contra‑Indications
• 16. How the Diet Industry Is Responding
• 17. Step‑By‑Step 30‑Day Starter Blueprint