Just over 10% of the adult population live with type 2 diabetes, and the condition is responsible for 1.5 million global deaths each year. Despite this, type 2 diabetes is manageable with the right lifestyle changes. In fact, according to a recent study, those changes may include drinking kombucha.
Kombucha To Manage Diabetes?
Dating back to ancient China, kombucha is a fermented beverage that’s typically made from black or green tea. As it contains B vitamins, enzymes, and many probiotics, it’s often touted as a health-boosting drink.
Previous animal studies have suggested that it may manage blood sugar levels in humans. As such, researchers from MedStar Georgetown University Hospital’s General Internal Medicine Clinic set out to investigate this theory.
For the study, researchers recruited 12 participants, all of whom had type 2 diabetes, and divided them into two groups. The participants were then each provided with an 8-ounce beverage that they had to drink every day with dinner, for 4 weeks. One group received kombucha, whilst the other group got a placebo drink that tasted like kombucha.
Besides drinking these beverages every day, and sticking to their typical dietary habits, the participants also had to test their fasting glucose at home at different periods.
Once the 4-week period concluded, the participants went on an eight-week “break”. They then switched to drinking the other beverage for another four weeks, with neither group knowing which beverage they were receiving at the time.
Kombucha Lowers Blood Sugar
“When participants took a placebo [drink], their blood sugar went down, but not that significantly. But when we gave kombucha to the same people — with the same microbiome, the same genetics, and same diet — their blood sugar levels went down impressively,” – Dan Merenstein, MD, study author
According to the study’s findings, published in Frontiers in Nutrition, drinking kombucha for 4 weeks caused a significant reduction in fasting blood glucose (measured before a meal) levels, from 164 to 116 milligrams per deciliters (mg/dL) on average. Drinking the placebo during the same period, on the other hand, only caused a reduction of 162 to 141 mg/dL.
For context, the American Diabetes Association says that the normal fasting glucose is 80–130 mg/dL.
Is Kombucha the Future of Diabetes Management?
Granted, the findings are interesting. However, it should be noted that the study was quite small and that more research is needed in a much larger study to better determine the benefits of kombucha on blood glucose levels.
Yet, if you are interested in adding kombucha to your type 2 diabetes management team, then it is best to speak to your healthcare provider before doing so. In any case, taking your medication as prescribed, following a healthy and balanced diet, and regularly exercising can adequately manage type 2 diabetes.
What Else Can Kombucha Do?
While we wait for more large-scale studies to confirm the impact of kombucha on blood sugar levels, previous research has found that kombucha can help to:
- Support gut health
- Boosts the immune system
- Protects heart health
Want to know more?
Kombucha is a fermented food, and a diet that includes different fermented foods has a wide range of benefits for your health, so here’s why you need to start eating more fermented foods.
References
Mendelson, C., Sparkes, S., Merenstein, D. J., Christensen, C., Sharma, V., Desale, S., Auchtung, J. M., Kok, C. R., E., H., & Hutkins, R. (2023). Kombucha tea as an anti-hyperglycemic agent in humans with diabetes – a randomized controlled pilot investigation. Frontiers in Nutrition, 10, 1190248. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2023.1190248
Xu, S., Wang, Y., Wang, J., & Geng, W. (2022). Kombucha Reduces Hyperglycemia in Type 2 Diabetes of Mice by Regulating Gut Microbiota and Its Metabolites. Foods, 11(5), 754. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11050754
