Kombucha has increased substantially in popularity in recent years, with more people drinking it now than ever. However, kombucha is so much more than just a trend. It actually has some great (and even surprising!) benefits. Its ingredients and properties can offer a number of considerable health advantages, making it easier for you to stay healthy or helping you maintain that vital gut health.
As people have become more aware of the importance of gut health, more people than ever are looking at food and drink options like kombucha that contain beneficial bacteria. Have you been considering drinking kombucha? Check out these health benefits to determine whether kombucha is the right choice for you.
Where Do the Health Benefits of Kombucha Come From?
Kombucha is made of just a few basic ingredients. It contains:
- Tea (often a green tea or black tea base)
- Cane sugar or other sweeteners
- Healthy bacteria and yeast
These ingredients combine to create the fantastic-tasting drink you may have fallen in love with. In addition, those simple ingredients can offer several potential health benefits. While kombucha certainly isn't a magic potion with a perfect solution for gut health, it can offer a number of benefits that you may want to consider.
What’s So Great About Kombucha and Its Ingredients?
Are you looking for a healthier beverage option? Have you been looking for a tasty, trustworthy way to take in probiotics through your food, rather than relying on a supplement alone? Let’s look at nine key health benefits of drinking kombucha and how it may impact your overall health.
1. Kombucha is a great source of probiotics.
Probiotics are good bacteria that can help your gut microbiome flourish. Drinking kombucha means that you're introducing live probiotics directly to your gut, which can mean a number of potential health benefits. Probiotics can:
- Help with digestion and lead to less intestinal distress
- Improve bowel problems, including inflammation
- Help with weight loss
Science has not yet proven the full health-related benefits of drinking kombucha, nor have there been specific studies done on the benefits of probiotic consumption. However, kombucha does contain some of the same probiotics that are used to improve gut health in other circumstances. Furthermore, many doctors and healthcare practitioners note the benefits of taking a regular probiotic. Kombucha may also contain a variety of probiotics. Maintaining variety in gut bacteria is critical to healthy gut maintenance.
2. The fermentation process can help suppress bad bacteria growth in the gut.
As you consider your overall gut health, it's important to consider what bad bacteria might be growing in the gut as well as the good bacteria you've introduced with your probiotics. Bad bacteria can cause a number of potential health problems, from increasing inflammation across the body to increasing the risk of allergies, obesity, and diabetes.
Maintaining a careful balance of bacteria in the gut can help maintain overall body health. When you drink kombucha, you may help restrict bad bacteria growth, which can, over time, lead to greater overall health and wellness. Kombucha helps stop the growth process of those bad bacteria, and good bacteria can flourish in the gut more easily.
People who eat diets filled with processed foods and sugar may have a greater likelihood of having an overgrowth of bad bacteria in the gut. While kombucha can't fix that balance alone, it can serve as an important part of an overall healthy diet that contributes to this balance.
Related: The Process of Making Kombucha
3. The green tea used in some kombucha products contains antioxidants.
Antioxidants contained in green tea can have a number of potential advantages. Not only can they help you feel younger and healthier, but research is being conducted to determine whether antioxidants can also help decrease the risk of developing cancer. Antioxidants can also help improve overall cardiovascular health and decrease cell damage, which can lead to better overall health and wellness.
4. Probiotic content may help with depression and anxiety.
When you think about the health benefits of kombucha, you may be focused primarily on the physical health benefits. However, kombucha may offer a number of mental health benefits, too. An imbalanced microbiome in the gut can lead to higher overall levels of depression, anxiety, and mental health issues. By balancing gut bacteria, many people have noticed a decrease in depression and anxiety. Kombucha may help maintain that balance in gut bacteria.
5. Drinking kombucha can help you replace sugary sodas.
Sodas can prove damaging to your overall health in a number of ways. Most notably, soda contains a high amount of sugar. Regular soda consumption can:
- Lead to unexpected weight gain, especially for people who don't think about the calorie content of their beverages
- Cause increased inflammation in the body
- Lead to a greater risk of developing diabetes or other blood sugar issues
- Increase the risk of illness and infection
Kombucha, on the other hand, does not have the same high sugar content. While kombucha does contain some sugar to aid in the fermentation process, it doesn’t contain nearly as much sugar as you would find in the average soda, making it a healthier choice for many people.
In addition, kombucha does not contain artificial sweeteners, which can be equally damaging to your health. Artificial sweeteners can increase the risk of obesity, increase sugar cravings, and lead to increased bodily inflammation, all of which can have serious long term consequences for many people.
6. Kombucha may give your immune system a boost.
Your immune system, like many of your body's other functions, may be heavily impacted by your overall gut health. When you have a buildup of bad bacteria in the gut, it can lead to a decline in your immune system and your body's ability to fight off infection. As a result, you may find it more difficult to avoid illness, and you may stay sick longer when you do contract an infection.
Drinking kombucha, on the other hand, contributes to the kind of healthy diet that helps balance your gut bacteria and, as a result, stave off potential infection. Over time, you may find that you get sick less often and that your body is better able to handle illness when you do get sick. As a result, you may recover quicker, allowing you to get back to your usual activities.
7. Drinking kombucha brewed with green tea may help with weight control.
Kombucha is not a miracle weight-loss product. Green tea, however, can go a long way toward boosting your weight loss efforts and helping you drop stubborn belly fat. Kombucha brewed with green tea may aid in those benefits, including helping you increase overall calorie burn and maintain blood sugar control throughout the day.
While kombucha shouldn't be used as a weight loss supplement, and drinking too much kombucha can lead to the same calorie intake as drinking other sugary beverages, green tea-based kombucha can be a great substitute for soda and other sugar-filled drinks, and may help you get rid of that stubborn extra weight.
Related: Is Kombucha a Good Antioxidant?
8. Kombucha may help regulate blood sugar.
According to a study performed on diabetic rats, drinking kombucha can help improve blood sugar regulation by slowing the digestion of carbs, which can help reduce the odds of an immediate blood sugar spike after heavy carb consumption.
Green tea may, in general, also help reduce blood sugar levels, so consuming kombucha made with green tea may help boost this effect. Drinking green tea can also help reduce the risk of developing diabetes over time. Drinking kombucha may be the ideal solution for helping to manage blood sugar levels after a carb-heavy meal. When you drink kombucha, you may also be less likely to overindulge in very sugary desserts or drinks, which may further help your blood sugar levels remain stable.
9. Drinking kombucha may help ward off high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Drinking kombucha can, in many cases, help ward off high blood pressure and maintain cardiovascular health. In fact, studies suggest that kombucha may decrease bad cholesterol and improve good cholesterol, perhaps due to the high probiotic content of the popular beverage. By consuming kombucha on a regular basis, you may notice a number of surprising and unexpected health benefits, many of which may provide you with a fuller, more active life.
It’s a Good Day to Try Kombucha
While definitive research is still out on the many benefits of kombucha, there’s no question that the right kombucha brew is deliciously tasty and filled with probiotics and other beneficial ingredients. Brew Dr. Kombucha offers a number of smooth, sparkling kombucha products for you to choose from. Visit us online to learn more about the great kombucha flavors available to you or to explore the ingredients and health advantages of drinking kombucha. Experiment with a wide variety of flavors to find the kombucha product that best fits your unique tastes, and start a fresh healthy habit today!
