A pre-trial investigation has found kombucha could potentially be used by people with diabetes as a way to better deal with the condition.
The pilot study asked participants to drink either a 240ml serving of kombucha, or a placebo drink designed to taste similar, once a day with dinner.
It found that after four weeks, the group of people who drank kombucha, rather than the fake kombucha drink, had notably lower fasting blood glucose levels than they did at the start of the study.
The study, published in Frontiers in Nutrition, has concluded “kombucha was associated with reduced blood glucose levels in humans with diabetes,” and that “larger follow-up studies” should take place.
Should we all start drinking kombucha to keep our blood sugars in check? While this pilot study was “randomised double-blinded,” to generate the fairest result, it was an extremely limited-scale experiment.
Only 12 participants took part in the test, nine white women and three African American men. The study was performed at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington in the US.
The pilot also found that in order to see a statistically significant drop in fasting blood glucose between the placebo versus kombucha groups, participants with less elevated blood glucose at the start of the experiment needed to be omitted from statistical analysis.
In other words, it’s not time to stock up on kombucha just yet, but there’s a hint of promise here.
What is kombucha?
Kombucha is a fermented tea drink, typically created by adding a “scoby” to sweetened tea. This is a disc of bacteria and yeast, which kickstarts the fermentation process.
As part of the study, the kombucha used was analysed. Its microbial content was found to be “mainly comprised of lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid bacteria, and yeast.”
If Kombucha is to have a positive effect on blood glucose, it is presumed to be these elements — rather than sugary tea — are doing so.
This is not the first of Kombucha’s flirtations with potentially contentious claims of health benefits.
“According to folklore, the kombucha is a super immune booster that can fight many ailments, including AIDS, cancer, arthritis, constipation, and more,” reads the National Library of Medicine website. “yet there is no research or any basic evidence to back up the claims.”
Still, kombucha makes a pleasant, if occasionally funky-tasting, soft drink in its own right, and is now available from most larger supermarkets.
