kombucha

For many people, kombucha is a super drink. They consider it the ideal option for replace soft drinksbecause it is better than water and does not cause health problems, but it does bring many benefits. Some experts have warned that we must be careful, since many commercial kombuchas have a large amount of added sugar, so the benefits can be overshadowed by the risks. However, it’s not just about the risks related to sugar. According to a team of Australian scientistswe could be relating kombucha to more benefits than it really has. Having the bioactive compounds is not enough. These scientists carried out two studies in the same group of healthy adults. On the one hand, they analyzed blood and urine samples in search of metabolites associated with the positive effects of kombucha. On the other hand, they analyzed how the consumption of this drink affects a controlled stress test in the laboratory. Although most of the benefits conferred on kombucha are digestive, there has been a lot of talk lately about how it can help reduce stress through the gut-brain axis. That is why this second test was carried out. In the first, as expected, they found very interesting metabolites. This indicates that kombucha contains bioactive ingredients, which have effects on metabolism. However, in the second test they did not find the benefits they expected. Not all kombuchas are the same. Kombucha is a drink obtained by fermenting tea with sugar, thanks to the bacteria and fungi present in a culture called scoby. As a result, some beneficial tea polyphenols are mixed with organic compounds and metabolites resulting from fermentation. Beyond that, it is important to clarify that not all kombuchas are the same. The final result depends on factors such as the storage method, the tea used, the fermentation process or added sugars. There is also a big difference if technologies such as filtering or pasteurization are used. That’s why, in an article for The Conversationthe authors of the Australian study point out that one cannot compare some studies with others without taking into account that possibly very different kombuchas were used. Homemade Kombucha The studies. To avoid the problem of different kombuchas, all participants in the Australian study drank the same kombucha. It was a drink based on organic black and green tea fermented for 4 weeks. Half of the participants drank 330 ml of this drink, once a day for 8 weeks. The other half did the same, but with a placebo with a similar flavor. Before, during and after the process, blood, saliva and urine samples were taken and they were subjected to a stress test that consisted of alternately putting their hand in cold water and doing mathematical calculations under a stopwatch. Basically, it is a way of mixing physical and mental stress. The results. Blood and urine samples showed that those who drank kombucha had higher levels of beneficial metabolites. The compounds in this fermented drink had acted on their metabolism in an apparently advantageous way. The problem is that, as they concluded with the second experiment, not everything that has bioactive ingredients generates visible benefits. There is nothing more to see than the Saliva levels of cortisolthe famous stress hormone, did not improve with kombucha consumption. They increased with the stress test, but did not decrease with the kombucha, but rather with the passage of time. There were also no beneficial effects on other stress markers such as sweating, heart rate or self-observed stress. Yes, there was habituation. As time passed and the stress test was repeated, cortisol levels and the rest of the markers improved. This, according to the authors of the study, is due to a habituation phenomenon, but most likely not to the kombucha, since there were no differences with the placebo. Studies will have to be improved. These Australian scientists consider that, in the future, it would be interesting to carry out studies with more participants, for a longer time. If possible, also with people with high basal stress. It would be the best way to thoroughly study whether there are real effects of kombucha on stress. At the moment, with what they have observed, it seems that we have overestimated this drink. In the end, if you need a raise in your salary or for your landlord to lower your rent, it seems that kombucha is not going to solve anything for you. Image | Magnificent In Xataka | Neuroscientists believe they have found the trick to solving the most complicated problems: taking a nap