Odds are, you have likely heard of kombucha as a trendy health beverage by now. Kombucha has taken the country by storm over recent years, and it has been continually increasing in popularity. So, is kombucha good for you? It has a reputation as a health beverage, but what are the actual health benefits? Join us as we review kombucha’s health benefits, background, and different forms of this popular beverage.
Spoiler: kombucha certainly offers health benefits, but we conclude it is generally most beneficial when home-brewed. Keep reading to learn why and how!
Kombucha Fermentation 101
Kombucha is essentially fermented sweet tea. During kombucha fermentation, a culture of bacteria and yeast, known as a SCOBY, feed on sugar and other components of your tea. As a result of this consumption, the culture/SCOBY produces organic acids and the bacteria and yeast content increase; this is much of what makes kombucha good for you.
By the end of fermentation, kombucha is actually low in sugar (particularly if you are homebrewing– more on this later) and offers many health benefits. We know low sugar content is good, but what specific benefits make kombucha good for you?
What Makes Kombucha Good for You
While the live yeasts and bacteria in kombucha may not sound very appetizing, the fermentation process is responsible for the plentiful probiotic benefits kombucha offers. After all, probiotics are a collection of live bacteria and yeasts that are beneficial to our health. The probiotics in kombucha may help improve your gut microbiome and therefore your gut health.
The importance of gut health has been increasingly stressed by researchers and health professionals over recent years, and fermented foods are a great way to improve gut health. We will dive into this further below, but a few benefits of probiotics include improved digestion and nutrient absorption, boosted immune health, oral health benefits, allergy treatment, and even management of depression and anxiety!
Kombucha is also loaded with antioxidants. In fact, it is generally made with black or green tea—which have antioxidant qualities to begin with. Polyphenols in tea are responsible for the antioxidant properties, and they actually increase in number during the fermentation process. The antioxidant benefits of kombucha tea include reduced inflammation and defense against cancer-causing agents. This is crucial considering the role inflammation plays in many chronic diseases and health issues.
Quality Control: Homebrewed Kombucha Good for You
Since home-brewing allows you to control fermentation time, sugar content, and any additives, we recommend home-brewing kombucha for the best health results. Commercial/store-bought kombucha is often pasteurized; this kills the beneficial compounds that make it good for you. Store-bought kombucha often contains sugars and artificial ingredients as well.
“Fermented sweet tea” might sound complicated and mysterious, but kombucha is actually quite easy to make. To make kombucha, you simply add a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) to fresh-brewed, cooled sweet tea. You then cover the vessel you have your tea and SCOBY in, and you leave it to ferment for a week or two. Interested in making your own kombucha? You can actually purchase a kit with everything you need to make kombucha at home!
For more details on the benefits that make kombucha good for you, keep on reading!
Digestion & Nutrient Absorption
Our guts contain good and bad bacteria. Probiotics offer more of the good bacteria and can create a barrier against the bad bacteria. In doing so, evidence suggests probiotics normalize our digestive system. Studies have shown that probiotics slow the movement of foods through the gut by 12.4 hours; this allows for better absorption of nutrients and digestion of food.
In spite of slowing the gut transit time, probiotics have also shown to increase the number of weekly bowel movements and soften stools. In other words, they help our digestive systems become more “regular”. Antioxidants in kombucha also fight free radicals in the gut that could otherwise lead to cell damage and disease.
All of these benefits can help to treat and prevent various digestive issues, such as diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, nutrient malabsorption, and constipation. It’s hard to believe this is just the start of kombucha benefits!
Kombucha Good for You & Your Allergies
Studies have shown that probiotics can treat allergies. Children and adults alike showed reduced symptoms of allergic rhinitis in response to allergens after ingesting probiotics. While there are many variables involved–such as type of allergen, probiotic strain, and dosing—early research shows it might be worth reaching for a kombucha next time your seasonal allergies hit!
Oral Health
While probiotics are most commonly linked to gut health, recent studies have shown benefits to oral health as well. Among these benefits are preventing plaque, fighting bad breath, preventing oral cancer, managing gingivitis, and decreasing inflammation from gum disease. A vote for kombucha is a vote for your pearly whites!
Immune Health
As mentioned in relation to gut health, probiotics can create a barrier against bad bacteria. They do so by reinforcing the “barrier” function of the intestinal lining. This, in turn, reduces the likelihood of harmful bacteria reaching the bloodstream. The end result is protection against infections and immune related reactions.
In fact, recent studies have shown that regular use of probiotics (such as those found in kombucha) can reduce the likelihood of catching a cold or getting an infection, increase the effectiveness of the flu shot, reduce the symptoms and the length of a cold, and even more!
Additionally, many of the organic acids in kombucha have been shown to inhibit growth of harmful microorganisms, which may otherwise lead to illness and/or infection.
Liver Health & Detoxification
The glucuronic acid in kombucha also makes it an excellent health-aid for your liver. The liver naturally produces glucuronic acid, but our bodies often cannot produce enough to rid of all toxins. Glucuronic acid binds with toxins in our livers and allows for them to be released from the body, thus preventing them from overloading the liver and our bodies with toxins.
Kombucha Good for You: Energy Boost
Kombucha offers a small amount of caffeine to give you a basic energy boost, but the long-term benefits offer much more. By improving your gut health, kombucha makes it easier for your body to digest foods. This means you are better able to digest and absorb energy-essential vitamins and nutrients from all of your food! Your body will be more efficient in converting your food to energy in general. Kombucha also offers a small amount of energy-boosting B-vitamins in the drink itself.
Treatment and Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes
Diabetes type 2 is characterized by high blood sugar levels and a wide array of resulting symptoms. A study on diabetic rats showed that kombucha slowed the digestion of carbs, reducing blood sugar levels. In turn, the rats showed better liver and kidney function. Kombucha is also very low in sugar, making it an excellent alternative to soda for those suffering from diabetes or at risk for diabetes.
Defense Against Cancer-Causing Agents, Reduced Inflammation, Heart-Disease Prevention
Kombucha tea is loaded with antioxidant-packed polyphenols. Polyphenols offer incredible health benefits, including prevention and management of various chronic diseases, defense against cancer-causing agents, and reduced inflammation. Polyphenols may even be a significant aid in the prevention of cardiovascular disease.
Much research on polyphenols is still needed, but we are continually learning more about the incredible health benefits they can offer. In fact, they are even a key focus of “brainhacker” Dave Asprey’s research and diet plans.
Weight Loss
Many studies have shown that our gut health and bacteria may be related to metabolism and weight. In order to improve gut health, one should supplement with probiotics such as the ones found in kombucha. Studies have demonstrated that certain strains of beneficial gut bacteria have a positive impact on body weight and metabolism. More research is still needed to identify strains, dosage, and duration of probiotic use as a treatment for obesity; however, the early research is promising.
Neurological Health
Studies have shown that polyphenols help us to defend against and perhaps even treat many neurodegenerative diseases and disorders such as MS, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, stroke, and Huntington’s Disease. Kombucha is a great source of polyphenols and the antioxidants they harbor.
Probiotics, also found in kombucha, have also been up for review for treatment and/or prevention of neurologic diseases. Probiotics may generally boost mood and cognitive function.
Make Kombucha Good for YOU
Congrats! You have now gone from a kombucha newbie to kombucha-enlightened! Now that you understand some of the benefits that make kombucha good for you, it is time to act on this information. Are you ready to start home-brewing kombucha? Do you want to know more about the steps involved in home-brewing kombucha? Best of luck on your health journey!
