Kombucha is a sweet and sour carbonated drink, the basis of which is the symbiosis of yeast fungi and acetobacteria. It is well known to those who lived during Soviet times or remember the early 90s, as it was especially popular in the USSR. Previously, it was believed that it not only perfectly quenches thirst, but is also very good for health. True, until recently there was very little scientific data regarding kombucha. One could even come across claims that there are no health benefits from this drink at all. However, now scientists are finding more and more evidence that our grandmothers were right about kombucha – it does have health benefits, and more than one.
Kombucha is a popular drink in the USSR
Does Kombucha help you lose weight?
We have previously talked about what kombucha is and what benefits it can have. But at the same time, there was not much evidence of its effectiveness as a healing agent. As we have already said, it was assumed that kombucha is a probiotic.
Recent research confirms these assumptions. For example, the drink contains lactic acid microbes, which one study found improved fat processing in mice. However, until recently, it was not clear whether kombucha could provide enough microbes to have a positive effect on health. However, another recent study conducted on roundworms showed that there are enough beneficial microbes to colonize even the human intestine.
But the most interesting thing is that the worms that received a large amount of bacteria had “reprogrammed” fat metabolism. That is, they experienced a significant reduction in fat reserves, but at the same time, no disturbances in the absorption of nutrients were detected. The effect was associated with an increase in the amount of proteins that break down fats produced in the intestines. That is, the study correlates with work that examined the effect of beneficial bacteria on mice.
Kombucha helps you lose fat
Thus, drinking kombucha may be an alternative to fasting in humans, as new fat stops accumulating. That is, it helps to get rid of excess weight without changing your diet. Therefore, we can say with a high degree of probability that the drink can really help you lose excess weight. However, in order to draw definitive conclusions, it is still necessary to conduct clinical studies involving a large number of volunteers.
It must be said that at present very little is generally known about the effects of probiotics on health. It can be said that scientists have only a superficial knowledge of this. For example, there is little data on how microbes get into the intestines, what exactly changes the composition of the microbiome, and how it can be artificially regulated. Although studies have already shown that probiotics have a positive effect on the immune system and help with gastrointestinal disorders.
What else is good for kombucha
Some studies have shown that the drink can be beneficial for the human intestines. However, keep in mind that kombucha is prepared in different ways. In particular, they use different microbial starters, and also use different technologies. But the cooking technology is very important, for example, if the temperature regime is violated, all beneficial bacteria may die before they enter the body.
Kombucha has shown benefits for intestinal microflora and immunity
Additionally, most studies were conducted on animals. It is therefore not surprising that the results are often contradictory. Perhaps this is due to the fact that some studies have shown the absence of any benefit from kombucha at all.
In terms of clinical studies, one conducted in 2023 found that kombucha combined with a carbohydrate-rich meal reduced fasting blood glucose levels after four weeks of regular consumption. Simply put, it has anti-diabetic properties. Let us recall that recently the incidence of diabetes has begun to increase throughout the world.
The number of people with diabetes is sharply increasing in the world, but kombucha can prevent this
Another clinical study found that consuming kombucha along with other fermented foods increased microbiome diversity and led to lower inflammatory markers.
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Thus, kombucha is a drink that you should not refuse, since there is already enough evidence of its benefits. This is especially true for overweight people. But large consumption of clean water does not help get rid of subcutaneous fat; you can read more about this at the link.