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08.08.2023

Kombucha improves the way the body handles glucose

Kombucha contains sucrose. So you would expect that type 2 diabetics would not respond well to kombucha. However, that doesn't seem to be the case. However, other components of kombucha, such as acetic acid, lactic acid and various bacterial populations, counteract the negative effect of sugar.

Study
Chagai Mendelson, a researcher and internist at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, USA, gave a small dozen type-2 diabetics 240 milliliters of kombucha every day for 4 weeks. On another occasion, the subjects drank the same amount of soda with the same amount of sugar every day for 4 weeks.

Both the kombucha and the placebo drink contained a freeze-dried ginger extract. The test subjects received 1440 milligrams ginger extract daily.

Before and after the supplementation period, Mendelsohn determined how much glucose was in the blood of the subjects early in the morning, even before the subjects had had breakfast. This fasting glucose level is an important biomarker for glucose metabolism. The lower the fasting glucose level, the better.

Results
Kombucha lowered fasting glucose levels by 30 percent.

Mechanism
The kombucha contained 2.9 grams of alcohol, 250 milligrams of acetic acid and a little lactic acid. These substances were created by the conversion of sucrose by yeasts and lactic acid and acetic acid bacteria. These microorganism were also present in the kombucha.

The researchers suspect that the components of kombucha make the pancreas work better. Another possibility is that kombucha component slow down the conversion of carbohydrates to bioavailable glucose.

Conclusion
"The most recent American Diabetic Association consensus statement recommended replacing sugar-sweetened beverages with water as often as possible", writes Mendelsohn.

"However, despite the sugar used in the fermentation process of kombucha, daily consumption did not raise fasting blood glucose levels to unhealthy levels in diabetics. This is clinically significant as many diabetics struggle to consume only water and counseling diabetic patients on drink choice is challenging for physicians."

Source:
Front Nutr. 2023;10:1190248.

More:
Kombucha, the controversial life-extender 27.08.2018

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