KOMBUCHA RESEARCH PRESS RELEASE
Research Reveals Healthy Soft Drink:
First Peer-Reviewed, Randomised, Controlled Trial of Kombucha Shows Living Kombucha Improves Blood Sugar Levels After Meals
The first ever randomised, placebo-controlled, clinical trial of kombucha has been published in Frontiers of Nutrition and shows ‘living kombucha’ reduces the blood sugar spike and improves insulin response after meals compared to soda water or diet soft drink.
The research, which was conducted by Prof Jennie Brand-Miller and her team at Sydney University's Glycemic Index Research Service (SUGiRS) and supported by an Australia Innovation Connections Grant, was published in the prestigious peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Nutrition.
Prof Brand-Miller said; “Rarely do nutritionists have something good to say about soft drinks, but now there’s an exception – we have shown a specific live form of kombucha reduces the blood glucose response to a meal.”
According to study co-author Prof Marc Cohen, “Kombucha originated in ancient China where it was labelled the “Elixir of Life” and “The Tea of Immortality' after it was discovered fermented tea produces a delicious, fizzy and tart drink that makes the drinker feel wonderful. ”Prof Cohen adds: “The health effects of kombucha have been extensively studied in animals and kombucha has been shown to assist in detoxification, digestion, antioxidation, energy metabolism and immunity, yet this is the first controlled clinical trial of kombucha in humans, and the first study to show living kombucha reduces post-prandial blood sugar spikes when consumed with a meal”.
“The mechanisms of kombucha’s action on blood sugar are unclear, and not all kombuchas are the same” said Prof Cohen “The kombucha used in the study, which is produced by The Good Brew Kombucha Company in Daylesford Victoria, was previously reported to contain 200 microbial species and two and a half times the polyphenol content of green tea. This suggests this kombucha is a rich source of probiotics and the kombucha SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast) bioactivates the phytochemicals in tea to produce new beneficial nutrients.”Prof Cohen, added” “Kombucha is the world’s fastest growing functional beverage with a global market of over US$500 million in 2022, so it’s surprising it’s taken so long to see a published clinical trial of kombucha in humans.
”Prof Brand-Miller concludes: “This provides an alternative to both alcoholic and non- alcoholic beverages and is a simple and enjoyable way to improve health.
”The study titled “Glycemic Index and Insulin Index after a Standard Carbohydrate Meal Consumed with Live Kombucha: A Randomised, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Trial” can be accessed from: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2023.1036717/abstract)
For media enquires contact: Prof Marc Cohen: info@drmarc.co Phone +61(0) 439 446 688
Prof Jenni Brand-Miller: jennie.brandmiller@sydney.edu.au Phone +61(0) 417 658 695
