"Kombucha", which has been popular both at home and abroad recently, can control oil, protect the intestines, and lower blood sugar?

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“Kombucha can protect the intestines, control oil, and lower blood sugar”

Recently, "Kombucha" has become very popular on a certain social platform. It is said to contain probiotics, protect the intestines, lower blood sugar, and drinking it before a big meal can also "control oil".

Rumor Analysis

That is not the case.

Kombucha may contain probiotics, but its effect in protecting the intestines is very limited. As for the claims of lowering blood sugar and controlling oil levels, they are not reliable.

Recently, a new tea drink called "Kombucha" has become very popular. It is advertised that it not only contains probiotics, can protect the intestines, and lower blood sugar, but also can "control oil" if you drink it before a big meal. Is this really the case? Should we follow this new trend of tea drinks?

Is Kombucha really healthier than regular tea?

Kombucha, in simple terms, is a tea drink made by adding a lot of white sugar or rock sugar, a small amount of fruit pieces, and bacteria to the tea. This tea drink, which became popular in the European and American celebrity circles, is said to have first appeared in the Qin Dynasty in my country. After spreading overseas, it has been exported and sold domestically after many years. Because of its unique taste and the support of the "healthy tree" of tea, it is called "healthy and happy water" by young people.

Since kombucha is made by fermenting black tea, is it healthier and more nourishing than black tea?

First of all, from the perspective of probiotics , kombucha contains acetic acid bacteria, yeast and lactic acid bacteria, which is indeed better than black tea. However, it is difficult to determine the content and strain type of various bacteria in different kombucha, and whether it can play a role in the intestines and to what extent is still unknown.

Some laboratory studies have found that kombucha has a certain antibacterial effect on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Other studies have found that kombucha can indeed reduce oxidative stress and inflammatory responses, regulate intestinal flora, and help reduce intestinal flora imbalance and control obesity caused by it . However, most of these studies are animal experiments. Whether it can play a similar role in human intestinal flora is still lacking sufficient research results.

In addition, regarding the regulatory effect of probiotics on intestinal flora, we must also consider the destruction of probiotics by gastric acid and other digestive juices after entering the gastrointestinal tract. In other words, it is difficult to say how many probiotics in kombucha can safely reach the human intestines and play a role.

Second, if the production of organic acids, amino acids, and polyphenols during the fermentation process of kombucha is an advantage, then ordinary black tea also contains the above ingredients. However, the fermentation process may increase the content of these ingredients.

Third, about the sugar content.

Ordinary black tea contains no sugar at all. In order to ensure the normal fermentation, a considerable amount of white sugar or rock sugar (sugar is food for fungi) is added to kombucha. The amount of white sugar given in some homemade kombucha recipes can reach 10% or more, and some pre-packaged kombucha on the market also contains more than 6% sugar in the ingredient list.

Image source: e-commerce platform

Compared with sugary drinks such as cola, the sugar content of kombucha is not too high, but even so, drinking only one bottle of kombucha (300 ml) a day will consume 19.5 grams of sugar , which is very close to the standard recommended in the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents" to "control the intake of free sugars to less than 25 grams per day." This is not good news for those who really want to be healthy and keep fit.

Fourth, about the alcohol content.

Black tea does not contain alcohol, but the production of kombucha has to go through two fermentation processes. If the fermentation time happens to be at the stage where sugar is metabolized into alcohol by fungi, drinking kombucha at this time will consume alcohol. Although the alcohol content is not high, about 3% to 5%, it is still a risk factor for pregnant women and children, and it is not recommended to drink it. If you want to drink non-alcoholic kombucha, you can buy commercial kombucha marked "non-alcoholic", or appropriately extend the fermentation time of homemade kombucha (usually more than 2 weeks) to metabolize the alcohol more completely.

Fifth, regarding bacterial contamination.

During the process of making homemade kombucha, if the container or raw materials are not kept clean and the temperature is not properly controlled, it is easy to introduce bacteria and cause contamination. Not only will the fermentation process fail to complete smoothly, but drinking kombucha contaminated by bacteria may also cause diarrhea, vomiting and other discomfort symptoms. It is recommended that you must strictly clean and disinfect the raw materials and containers during the fermentation process, and ensure that the storage environment is in good sanitary conditions and the temperature is appropriate to avoid mold and deterioration.

Image source: Xiaohongshu

Sixth, about fermentation and gas production .

Although this has nothing to do with food safety, I still want to remind everyone that kombucha produces gas during fermentation, and if it is not stored properly, it is likely to explode. When homemade enzymes became popular, many people's enzyme bottles exploded at home, and now kombucha bottles are exploding...

Blowing up the kitchen is a small matter, but if you accidentally get hurt, it would be a big loss.

Image source: Xiaohongshu

In general, Kombucha is a drink that is somewhat inferior to the best but better than the worst. Compared with sugar-free, alcohol-free, ready-to-drink beverages such as black tea and green tea, which have no risk of contamination from foreign bacteria and contain polyphenol antioxidants, it seems to be less healthy; but compared with carbonated beverages such as cola, and high-sugar beverages such as iced black tea and rock sugar pear, it seems to be slightly better because it contains probiotics and low sugar content.

When it comes to Kombucha, you might as well remove the health filter and treat it as an ordinary low-sugar beverage that you can drink occasionally. Don't bet your expectations of health and wellness on this drink and ignore other actions to protect your health.

Looking in the mirror of rumors

Some "health drinks" often exaggerate the effects of certain ingredients when promoting them, focusing on a single ingredient or combination of ingredients and claiming that they have extraordinary therapeutic effects. Although this sounds convincing, in fact, there is a lack of reliable scientific evidence to support it.

References

[1]Yan Zheng, Yaowei Liu, Shanshan Han, Yiyang He, Ruonan Liu, Peng Zhou,Comprehensive evaluation of quality and bioactivity of kombucha from six major tea types in China,International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science,2024,36,100910:1878-450X.

[2]Costa, Mirian Aparecida de Campos et al. Effect of kombucha intake on the gut microbiota and obesity-related comorbidities: A systematic review.Critical reviews in food science and nutrition.2023,63,19: 3851-3866.

[3]Jakubczyk K, Kałduńska J, Kochman J, Janda K. Chemical Profile and Antioxidant Activity of the Kombucha Beverage Derived from White, Green, Black and Red Tea. Antioxidants (Basel). 2020 May 22;9(5):447.

Planning and production

Author: Wang Lu, registered dietitian

Review｜Ruan Guangfeng, Deputy Director of Kexin Food and Health Information Exchange Center

Planning丨Yang Yaping

Editor: Yang Yaping

Proofread by Xu Lailinlin