A mug of kombucha tea for your health? (2024)

FAQs

What does kombucha do to your body? ›

Kombucha is an ancient fermented tea that may have many health benefits, such as improving digestion, boosting the immune system, lowering cholesterol levels, and supporting cardiovascular health.

Kombucha tea has caused stomach upset, infections and allergic reactions in some people. Kombucha tea is often made (brewed) in homes under unclean conditions. This makes it likely that bad bacteria can grow. Also, when the tea is made with ceramic pots that have lead in them, lead poisoning happens.

The Centers for Disease Control recommends that four ounces of kombucha can be safely consumed one to three times a day. Overconsumption can lead to headache, nausea, gastrointestinal distress, or ketoacidosis.

Kombucha may help manage type 2 diabetes

It's characterized by high blood sugar levels and insulin resistance. A 2012 study in diabetic rats found that kombucha slowed down the digestion of carbs, which reduced blood sugar levels. It also improved liver and kidney function.

Does kombucha help you lose belly fat? While kombucha can be a part of a healthy weight-loss journey, there's no magic solution for losing belly fat. Kombucha may support overall weight management by supporting digestion and gut health, but it's not a stand-alone solution for targeting belly fat.

Boosting your gut health

“Good” bacteria are essential for your gut microbiome to thrive — and fermented foods such as kombucha contain probiotics to help keep those levels high. “Kombucha can really help feed and increase that good, healthy gut bacteria, which can help decrease any bad bacteria,” says Zumpano.

People with alcohol use disorder should avoid kombucha. Diarrhea: Kombucha contains caffeine. The caffeine in kombucha, especially when taken in large amounts, can worsen diarrhea. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): Kombucha contains caffeine.

However, the alcohol content of kombucha is typically very low, usually less than 0.5% by volume. If the fermentation process is not controlled correctly, the alcohol content can increase, leading to a more alcoholic beverage.

Kombucha tea might decrease blood sugar. Diabetes medications are also used to lower blood sugar. Taking kombucha tea along with diabetes medications might cause your blood sugar to go too low.

Drinking kombucha on an empty stomach can also enhance its antioxidant effects. This is because the fermentation process creates natural antioxidants, and drinking kombucha on an empty stomach allows these antioxidants to be more easily absorbed by the body.

Is kombucha good for your liver? ›

Some research has been done in labs that shows kombucha tea has tremendous healing properties, including everything from being probiotic to antioxidant and antibacterial. It is touted as being beneficial for heart disease, diabetes, fatty liver disease, and liver damage.

If you're looking to improve heart health, apple cider vinegar may be the better choice. If you are fasting ACV is better because it will not break a fast. See our article does apple cider vinegar break a fast. But if you're interested in boosting immunity or aiding digestion, kombucha tea may be a good choice.

But the good news is that the sugar in Kombucha is for the culture to consume, not for you. When done fermenting, there will be about 2-6 grams per 8 ounce glass of unflavored Kombucha. By contrast, an 8 ounce glass of orange juice has about 24g of sugar. Natural carrot juices have 13g per 8 ounces.

Take it on an empty stomach . That's when you'll take full advantage of its probiotic and detoxifying properties. Recover with a glass of kombucha after training.

Kombucha contains vitamins B₁ (thiamine), B₆, and B₁₂, all of which are known to help the body fight depression, stabilize mood, and improve concentration. It also contains vitamin C, which suppresses the release of cortisol (one of the stress hormones).

Drinking kombucha on an empty stomach is the best way to maximize the potency of the living cultures found within. With your stomach clear of any food, the living cultures can pass through your stomach quicker and reach your large intestines to clear harmful bacteria and improve function.