While this drink is known for having many health benefits, there has been plenty of controversy over this tea because of the alcohol levels that the drink contains.
removed their product from grocery store shelves after discovering the product contained elevated levels of alcohol above what is allowed for by the FDA. Foods, which considers the product a top seller, pulled the beverage from its stores nationwide to comply with regulatory standards.
Many kombucha drinks have a lot of added sugar, which helps to make them taste better. Too much sugar, however, can cause problems for people with diabetes. Added sugars may also increase diabetes, obesity, fatty liver, and heart disease risks. Kombucha tea is an acidic beverage, which can pose problems for your teeth.
Drinking too much kombucha could potentially lead to reactions like headache, nausea, GI distress or going into ketoacidosis (a medical emergency where there's too much acid in your blood).
A small amount of research suggests that kombucha tea may give benefits similar to probiotic supplements. For example, some research suggests kombucha tea may support a healthy immune system and prevent constipation. But there are few valid medical studies of kombucha tea's role in human health.
Kombucha contains antioxidants
They also may help reduce your risk for diseases like cancer. Kombucha does contain antioxidants, so it can be a source of nutrients along with your regular intake of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and other plant foods and drinks like tea.
But why is it SO popular? You still might be asking yourself why it became so popular, and for that, we can point to its many potential health benefits. Because it's fermented, kombucha is considered a good source of probiotics, which helps promote digestive health, increased energy and a healthy metabolism.
Kombucha can help regulate the metabolism, increasing the speed at which your body burns calories. This prevents carbs from getting stored in the form of belly fat. Metabolisms that run at a consistent rate use calories as they enter the body and limit how much belly fat you have to work off later!
The acetic acid bacteria is not really probiotic for the human body and the yeast is fairly minimal because the typical kombucha ferment has such a low pH.
Overconsumption can lead to headache, nausea, gastrointestinal distress, or ketoacidosis. There are a few populations that should never ingest kombucha. Pregnant and breastfeeding women, children, and individuals with liver or kidney disease, HIV, impaired immune systems, and alcohol dependency should avoid kombucha.
Kombucha Health Benefits
Advocates say it helps your digestion, rids your body of toxins, and boosts your energy. It's also said to boost your immune system, help you lose weight, ward off high blood pressure and heart disease, and prevent cancer. But there's not a lot of evidence to support these claims.
One tip to keep in mind is that many people find that kombucha does not pair well with foods that are already higher in acidity because the flavor can become lost or overpowered.
Drinking kombucha is an easy, low-calorie way to add probiotics to your diet. It's also a good alternative for vegetarians or anyone who can't eat dairy. Kombucha does contain small amounts of sugar and caffeine. As a fermented beverage, it also contains some alcohol.
May Promote Liver Health. The main function of the liver is to help detoxify the body from harmful substances. Because of the powerful antioxidants in kombucha, regular ingestion helps fight free radicals from damaging cells. Kombucha helps the liver by assisting this mighty organ in the detoxification of the body.
A SCOBY, or Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast, is the fermentation starter that kicks off kombucha fermentation. The SCOBY is made up of lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid bacteria, and yeast.
Both apple cider vinegar and kombucha have health benefits and can be incorporated into a healthy diet. However, they are different in terms of their ingredients and health properties. It's up to you to decide which one is best for you based on your personal health goals and preferences.
Most store bought brands of kombucha contain around 0.5% ABV.
The reason that many people feel good after drinking kombucha is because it's a healthy drink full of antioxidants, amino acids, probiotics, and B vitamins, all of which have been found to improve mood and reduce symptoms like depression and anxiety after eating or drinking them.
Drinking probiotic-rich kombucha could help promote positive mental health. Indeed, according to some sources, there may be a link between probiotics and depression. There are strong links between depression and inflammation, so the anti-inflammatory effect of kombucha may help alleviate some symptoms of depression.
There's no denying that many people consider kombucha to be a healthful beverage – googling gets you thousands of articles hyping its alleged health benefits. However, none of these attributes have been confirmed by research in humans.
Based on years of consuming kombucha and being in the home brewing community, we recommend not drinking more than 16 oz of kombucha per day – about the amount you would find in a bottle of store bought kombucha.
“Kombucha can be described as a probiotic drink because it contains live health-promoting bacteria that are beneficial for our microbiome. Our microbiome is the complex makeup of all the bacteria that live on and in us.
The idea that kombucha is a superfood is a result of marketing and wellness hype. While kombucha does contain antioxidants and probiotics, there are also a few risks associated with the beverage; but these are mostly associated with incorrectly brewing kombucha at home.