Is Kombucha Good For Weight Loss?
Recently, there has been a lot of talk surrounding this popular kombucha tea. This fermented, fizzy beverage has received praise for its potential to enhance gut health, immunity, and blood glucose levels. Interestingly, people also claim that Kombucha can be a powerful weight-loss aid. How true is this? What's the buzz behind this tea?
As Kombucha is made from green tea, you can expect that it can also have the potential to help one lose weight, and it can serve as a healthier alternative to sodas, juices, and other high-caloric beverages.
Let's examine this fizzy beverage more closely to see what all the fuss is about.
What Is Kombucha?
Tea (black or green), bacteria, yeast, and sugar are all needed to make the fermented fizzy drink known as Kombucha. Kombucha, pronounced as "kuhm·boo·chuh," takes at least one week or more to ferment.
The history of consuming Kombucha, or fermented tea, dates back thousands of years. China was the birthplace of this beverage, which later made its way to Japan and Russia. In the early 20th century, it gained a lot of popularity in Europe. Due to its positive associations as a health tonic and energy enhancer, Kombucha sales in the USA have been on the rise.
Kombucha is not only as healthy as tea but also a great source of probiotics. Furthermore, Kombucha has antibacterial and antiviral properties, which may help treat multiple ailments due to its antioxidant content.
What Nutrients Can You Get From Kombucha?
Kombucha has 29 calories, 0 protein, 8 carbs, and 0 fat per 8-ounce (240mL) serving. B-complex vitamins, such as thiamin and niacin, can be found in high concentrations in Kombucha.
Additionally, because Kombucha is made from tea, it typically contains some caffeine, though the amount varies. Kombucha may include minute quantities of alcohol as a byproduct of the fermentation process. And it is packed with a wide variety of phytochemical components.
What Are the Health Benefits of Kombucha?
Since most research on Kombucha has been conducted in controlled environments or on animals, it is unknown whether the fermentation products or microorganisms benefit people.
Furthermore, the health advantages may be attributable to the specific tea used in the brewing process. After all, Kombucha is brewed from green tea. It could have the same health benefits as green tea. Here are the health benefits that you can get from drinking Kombucha
It promotes better digestion.
For those concerned about their digestive health, a raw kombucha drink may be an excellent option because of the probiotics it contains.
It could help in the fight against illness.
Kombucha's potential antibacterial and antiviral benefits may come from chemicals like catechins (present in the tea) and isorhamnetin (not often found in tea). Drinking Kombucha may be effective against certain bacteria and viruses that trigger gastroenteritis.
It may prevent cancer.
Another study that looked at how Kombucha affected prostate cancer cells discovered that it might be helpful in reducing the cells' ability for proliferation. However, more research is required to confirm the results because the experiment was conducted on cell lines rather than on human subjects.
It can help reduce blood sugar levels.
Researchers have examined the effects of black tea and Kombucha on animals to see which beverage was more successful at preventing the rise in blood sugar levels. Kombucha tea was more effective than the control group at maintaining normal blood sugar levels.
Is Kombucha Good For Weight Loss?
Some of you might be hesitant to try Kombucha because of the rumor that it contains sugar. That doesn't sound like anything that would aid in weight loss, right? Note that during fermentation, 90% of the sugar is eaten up. This is just a similar case to making bread, wine, or beer, wherein the yeast and bacteria feed from sugar. In fact, if you drink raw, organic Kombucha, it's a healthier option than sodas or sugary juices.
How Can Kombucha Help You Lose Weight?
Both your overall health and your ability to lose weight can benefit from a balanced digestive system and a population of gut bacteria that are healthy and happy. More studies have also discovered a link between the gut microbiome and obesity and weight reduction.
A healthy balance of gut bacteria helps with digestion, absorption of nutrients, and the body's overall metabolism. Our bodies are more efficient at burning fat when they are functioning optimally. This cannot be accomplished without a good balance of gut bacteria.
Once a person gets used to the flavor of Kombucha, it can be used in place of beverages that are higher in calories, such as fruit juices or carbonated drinks. Although the weight loss benefits of Kombucha are limited, note that it only contains approximately up to 30 calories per serving.
Additionally, there is evidence from research conducted on animals to suggest that tea helps promote a diet low in calories. Yes, Kombucha may provide the benefits of green tea since it contains many of the same plant compounds. Green tea can enhance calorie burn, reduce abdominal fat, improve cholesterol levels, and regulate blood sugar.
Take Away
Remember that getting rid of excess weight is a challenging endeavor that is influenced by a great deal of different variables. Basically, to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume. So far, there is a lack of extensive clinical research on Kombucha tea. However, it includes antioxidants and polyphenols that aid weight loss. Plus, it contains probiotics which are good for the gut. Finally, you can consider it a healthy drink alternative instead of sugary beverages.
