With the growing demand for functional drinks that both taste great and offer added health benefits, grocery store coolers are now stocked with healthier soda alternatives like prebiotic sodas, kefir water and, well sure, kombucha. While kombucha is an ancient drink whose origins date back to 220 BCits popularity has grown exponentially in recent years. Today, you’ll find dozens of brands and endless flavor combinations in well-stocked grocery stores. And the trend is not slowing down: kombucha industry is expected to increase from $1.8 billion in 2024 to $6.2 billion by 2032.
But before you start drinking kombucha every day, it’s important to get the facts straight. Despite its long history, many claims about kombucha’s health benefits are anecdotal and lack scientific evidence. Although most people can enjoy an occasional glass of kombucha without worry, making it a daily habit might require more thought.
As a dietitian who loves treating myself to sparkling ginger kombucha and has even tried making my own at home, I dug deeper to see what the science tells us about the health benefits of kombucha and reasons you may want to avoid or limit this fizz. fermented drink. Keep reading and for more information, don’t miss I Drank Kombucha for 30 Days and Experienced 3 Life-Changing Benefits.
In this article
What is Kombucha?

Kombucha is a fermented tea made by combining black or green tea with sugar and a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast). If you’ve never seen a SCOBY, it’s a disk-shaped blob that looks like jelly and floats on top of your fermenting kombucha. Although it doesn’t look particularly appealing, this SCOBY helps transform regular tea into a sweet, tangy, and fizzy drink rich in probiotics.
To keep the probiotics active and intact, most kombucha is sold and consumed unpasteurized, which is generally suitable for healthy people but could pose potential problems for children or people with weakened immune systems.
Kombucha has been enjoyed as a home-brewed beverage for centuries, but its growing popularity has led to an increase in commercial production. Today, you can easily find raw, unpasteurized kombucha in most well-stocked grocery stores.
Nutritional Value of Kombucha
The exact nutrition found in a bottle of kombucha depends on the brand and type of ingredients used. However, most will provide something close to this:
Nutrition (per 12 ounce bottle):
Calories: 60
Fat: 0g
Sodium: 7mg
Crabs: 15 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 15 g)
Protein: 0.3g
Kombucha typically contains 40 to 50 milligrams of caffeine because it is made with tea. During the fermentation process, natural yeasts convert sugars into small amounts of alcohol, usually less than 0.5%. However, the alcohol content can be higher, especially in house beers where it is not tested as thoroughly.
Most kombucha provides negligible amounts of vitamins and minerals, but adding fruit juice can increase its nutrient content, offering small amounts of vitamin C, vitamin E, B vitamins, potassium, iron and magnesium.
Benefits of Kombucha


It is a natural probiotic
One of the most sought-after benefits of kombucha is its natural probiotic content. Since it’s made from fermented yeast and bacteria, kombucha is packed with live, active cultures that can help maintain a healthy gut microbiome.
Many brands in stores advertise a billion CFU (colony forming units) of live, active probiotics in each bottle. While this may be true at the time of bottling, it is common for the probiotic count to decrease over time. A March 2023 study in Drinks found that only 16.3% of soft or outlier products (alcohol content greater than 0.5%, but not considered “hard”) contained one billion CFUs of live, active probiotics when tested. The species of bacteria you will find are also very diverse. Given the variety of types of microbes and the amount you’ll find in a bottle of kombucha, it can support a healthy gut, but is not a therapeutic option for relieving specific symptoms or conditions.
It is rich in antioxidants
Since kombucha is a fermented tea, most often prepared with black or green tea, it is a good source of antioxidants and polyphenols. These compounds help fight free radicals in the body, helping to reduce oxidative stress and reduce inflammation. Some research has shown that kombucha brewed with green tea the highest phenolic content, and the fermentation process can increase some of these beneficial compounds available from drinking kombucha.
It may reduce your risk of diabetes
Since one of the few ingredients used to make kombucha is sugar, it is not a sugar-free drink. However, much of the added sugar is used in the fermentation process, with varying amounts of sugar left behind.
But the small amounts of sugar in kombucha may not be as detrimental to your blood sugar as you might think. A 2023 study found that drinking kombucha with a meal decreases postprandial glycemic and insulin response 120 minutes after eating, compared to sparkling water or diet soda. The mechanism behind kombucha’s effect on insulin sensitivity and the body’s response to glucose is not exactly known, but scientists believe it is a combination of kombucha’s pH, its microbial content, organic acids, polyphenols and tannins.
It may reduce the risk of heart disease
The high antioxidant content of kombucha may also support heart and cardiovascular health. Various animal studies have shown that kombucha tea can reduce LDL cholesterol And increase HDL cholesterolpromoting more favorable blood cholesterol levels. These findings may be related to the beneficial effect of kombucha on the gut microbiome and oxidative stress, but it is not yet clear what impact kombucha has on cholesterol levels in humans.
Potential Disadvantages of Kombucha


It might make your stomach hurt
While many people can occasionally (or even regularly) drink kombucha without digestive side effects, this is not the case for everyone. The combination of acidity and carbonation from fermentation can cause discomfort or bloating in people with sensitive stomachs or those suffering from acid reflux or IBS. If you’re unsure how kombucha impacts your digestion, try a small serving first and stop drinking if it worsens digestive symptoms.
If your immune system is weakened, it could make you sick
Like most probiotic foods and drinks, kombucha has the greatest probiotic benefit when you drink it raw and unpasteurized. Unfortunately, the lack of pasteurization, which keeps beneficial bacteria intact, also means a higher risk of consuming harmful bacteria. Although the risk is low, people with weakened immune systems and children should avoid drinking raw kombucha.
It’s not good for your teeth
Drink acidic drinks increases the rate of enamel demineralization and dental erosion. Kombucha is about as acidic as cola and can be just as harmful to your teeth if consumed regularly. To minimize these effects, you can drink kombucha through a straw so it has less interaction with your enamel, and be sure to rinse your mouth with water after drinking or brushing your teeth.
Conclusion: Is Kombucha good for you?
Kombucha can be a delicious and refreshing drink with nutritional benefits beyond a typical soda. Whether home-brewed or store-bought, it naturally provides probiotics and antioxidants, promoting gut health and helping your body fight oxidative stress.
Despite its many potential health benefits, kombucha is far from a miracle drink or panacea. If you are immunocompromised, suffer from IBS or acid reflux, or are concerned about enamel erosion, you will need to drink it with caution.
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