A clinical trial conducted by researchers at Georgetown University’s School of Health, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and MedStar Health found that type 2 diabetes patients who consumed kombucha, a fermented tea drink, for four weeks showed lower fasting blood glucose levels compared to those who drank a placebo beverage.
The findings, reported in Frontiers in Nutrition on August 1, 2023, hint at the potential dietary intervention to help regulate blood sugar levels in diabetic patients.
Kombucha and Its Potential Benefits
Kombucha, a tea fermented with bacteria and yeast, has been consumed since around 200 B.C. in China.
Its popularity in the U.S. grew in the 1990s, with anecdotal reports suggesting benefits such as enhanced immunity, reduced food cravings, and decreased inflammation.
However, scientific evidence to support these claims has been limited so far.
Clinical Trial Design and Results
The study, the first clinical trial exploring the effects of kombucha on diabetes patients, involved a crossover design where participants drank about eight ounces of kombucha or a placebo daily for four weeks.
After a two-month “wash-out” period, the drinks were swapped between the groups for another four weeks. None of the participants knew which beverage they were consuming.
The results indicated that kombucha helped lower average fasting blood glucose levels after four weeks from 164 to 116 milligrams per deciliter, a significant difference.
The American Diabetes Association recommends blood sugar levels before meals to be between 70 to 130 milligrams per deciliter.
Identifying the Active Ingredients
The researchers also studied the fermenting micro-organisms in kombucha to identify the most active ingredients.
The beverage primarily contained lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid bacteria, and a yeast called Dekkera, all in roughly equal measure, as confirmed with RNA gene sequencing.
Implications and Future Directions
This preliminary evidence suggests that kombucha, a common beverage, could impact diabetes.
With diabetes being a major risk factor for several severe conditions and the eighth leading cause of death in the U.S., the researchers hope to conduct a larger trial to provide more conclusive answers on kombucha’s effectiveness in reducing blood glucose levels and potentially preventing or aiding the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
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The study was published in Frontiers in Nutrition.
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