Frequently drinking black tea kombucha can reduce harmful gut microbes linked to obesity, a new study has highlighted.
Researchers have found that the gut microbiota is positively influenced by a high intake of kombucha – a mildly fizzy, fermented drink made from sweetened tea and a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast.
More pronounced effects of black tea kombucha were evident in obese individuals, the study has reported.
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Currently affecting more than one billion people, obesity is a major health concern that is expected to rise further in the future.
A total of 46 adults enrolled in the eight-week long study.
Researchers examined the short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) content, gut microbiota changes and intestinal permeability of the participants at enrolment.
Each day of the trial, participants drank 200 mL of laboratory-prepared black tea kombucha. In addition, participants had to maintain their routine diets and follow their normal exercise rou-tine.
They were placed into one of two groups: the ‘normal weight’ cohort (mean BMI = 21.64 kg/m2) or the ‘obese’ cohort (mean BMI = 34.47 kg/m2).
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The findings have shown that a regular intake of kombucha triggered the growth of commensal Bacteroidota and Akkermanciaceae bacteria, particularly in the obese participants.
In addition, the results have revealed that people in the obese group experienced benefits from an increase in Subdoligranulum (butyrate producer) populations and substantial reductions in Ruminococcus and Dorea (obesity-associated) genera.
The study was published in The Journal of Nutrition.
