Kombucha is the hot new beverage that is a supposed cure-all for your ills. But is it? If you do it right, drinking this probiotic beverage has great benefits.
What is Kombucha?
Kombucha is a delicious beverage, possibly of Manchurian origins, that is made by fermenting tea through the use of a SCOBY, a symbiotic microbial mass composed of several types of bacteria and yeasts. [1]
Kombucha is fermented tea, which means it gets a bit of carbonation and alcohol during the process. The SCOBY turns the sugars within the tea drink into alcohol. Then another set of bacteria and yeasts turns the alcohol into acetic, glucuronic, and gluconic acids, along with traces of several other acids in minute quantities. So that means there’s always a little alcohol and many beneficial acids available.
Plus, the bacteria help release nutrients and provide them during fermentation. As a result, kombucha is high in various B vitamins, plus many phytonutrients and antioxidants. Of course, this all depends on the tea it starts with; green tea has the highest nutritional value.
What Are the Health Benefits of Kombucha?
Aside from the healthy probiotic value, a good number of vitamins and minerals are found in kombucha. Plus, there’s a lot of research that shows that drinking small quantities of kombucha every day can be quite beneficial for:
• Healthy Probiotics [2]
• Reduce Diabetes Risk [3]
• Polyphenols [2]
• Antioxidants [4]
• Detox Abilities and Reduces Liver Toxicity [5]
• Reduce Candida Yeast
• Reduce Heart Disease [3]
• Lower LDL Cholesterol
• Raise HDL Cholesterol
• Reduces Kidney Damage
• May Help Promote Cancer Cell Death (Apoptosis)
Most health advisors recommend starting with 2 oz of kombucha during the day, preferably taken with meals. That allows your body to begin assimilating the probiotics without experiencing adverse side effects. Unfortunately, many commercial kombuchas come in large bottles containing several servings. If you try and drink this much, you’ll start experiencing side effects.
Are There Any Concerns with Drinking Kombucha?
Yes, there are some significant concerns when drinking kombucha. For one, you must add a lot of sugar to the drink to sustain the SCOBY and produce healthy acids and probiotics. Secondly, some pretty severe digestive problems can come with overloading your body with probiotics too quickly. Some of these include:
• High in Calories and Sugars
• High in Caffeine
• May Cause Bloating
• May Cause Constipation/Diarrhea
• Contains Alcohol
• May Aggravate Liver, Kidney, or Immune Issues
That’s why it is recommended to start with 2 oz until your body can adjust to that amount. Then, slowly increase it. But the benefits stop after about 6 to 8 oz per day. Once you reach that level, you will supply your body with too many sugars without enough nutrition. So, it’s better to enjoy a little bit and get the health benefits rather than overloading your system.
Kombucha isn’t a miracle drink, but it has some great benefits. Combined with diet and exercise, it can help give you a healthy boost.
References
1: Villarreal-Soto SA, Beaufort S, Bouajila J, Souchard JP, Taillandier P. Understanding Kombucha Tea Fermentation: A Review. J Food Sci. 2018 Mar;83(3):580-588. doi: 10.1111/1750-3841.14068. PMID: 29508944.
2: Jayabalan, R., Malbaša, R.V., Lončar, E.S., Vitas, J.S. and Sathishkumar, M. (2014), A Review on Kombucha Tea—Microbiology, Composition, Fermentation, Beneficial Effects, Toxicity, and Tea Fungus. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 13: 538-550. https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.12073
3: Aloulou A, Hamden K, Elloumi D, Ali MB, Hargafi K, Jaouadi B, Ayadi F, Elfeki A, Ammar E. Hypoglycemic and antilipidemic properties of kombucha tea in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2012 May 16;12:63. doi: 10.1186/1472-6882-12-63. PMID: 22591682; PMCID: PMC3403982.
4: Bellassoued K, Ghrab F, Makni-Ayadi F, Van Pelt J, Elfeki A, Ammar E. Protective effect of kombucha on rats fed a hypercholesterolemic diet is mediated by its antioxidant activity. Pharm Biol. 2015;53(11):1699-709. doi: 10.3109/13880209.2014.1001408. Epub 2015 Apr 9. PMID: 25856715.
5: Murugesan GS, Sathishkumar M, Jayabalan R, Binupriya AR, Swaminathan K, Yun SE. Hepatoprotective and curative properties of Kombucha tea against carbon tetrachloride-induced toxicity. J Microbiol Biotechnol. 2009 Apr;19(4):397-402. doi: 10.4014/jmb.0806.374. PMID: 19420997.
