What is kombucha

Accessed April 17, Duyff RL. Think your drinks. New York, N. Watawana MI, et al. Health, wellness, and safety aspects of the consumption of kombucha.

Journal of Chemistry. Jayabalan R, et al. A review on kombucha tea — Microbiology, composition, fermentation, beneficial effects, toxicity, and tea fungus. Probiotics: In depth. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Bauer BA expert opinion. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. April 20, Alternative cancer treatments: 10 options to consider Aromatherapy: Is it worthwhile? Colloidal silver supplements Colon cleansing Considering complementary therapy Cupping therapy: Can it relieve fibromyalgia pain?

Detox foot pads Diabetes treatment: Can cinnamon lower blood sugar? Do infrared saunas have any health benefits? Always check with your GP if you are concerned about introducing kombucha to your diet, or if you have any adverse side effects after consuming it. The health benefits of kefir The health benefits of miso The health benefits of apple cider vinegar.

More digestive health recipes and tips Why are fermented foods good for you? How does diet affect gut health? Jo Lewin is a registered nutritionist RNutr with the Association for Nutrition with a specialism in public health. All health content on bbcgoodfood. If you have any concerns about your general health, you should contact your local health care provider.

See our website terms and conditions for more information. Subscriber club Reader offers More Good Food. Sign in. Back to Recipes Pumpkin recipes Butternut squash See more. Back to Recipes Chicken slow cooker Veggie slow cooker See more. Back to Recipes Cheesecakes Cookies See more. Kristina Marino, Kombrewcha's Director of Marketing, explained how their product is fundamentally different from those in the non-alcoholic kombucha and alcoholic beverage markets: "The problem we saw is that alcoholic beverages—mixed drinks, beer, and hard cider—are either too high in alcohol and calories or too low in taste.

A regular 12 oz beer ranges from about calories to over calories, same for hard cider - mixed drinks often have more than calories. Even light beers typically have over calories. Additionally, Kombrewcha is departing from the traditional alternative health image of kombucha by conciously positioning itself as an artisanal beverage.

The brand has partnered with a number of highly regarded restaurants and bars across New York to serve and increase exposure for the brand, including Murray's Cheese Bar , Roebling Tea Room and Angelica Kitchen.

A number of these establishments also serve Kombrewcha-based cocktails, such as Meadowsweet's Kombrewcha Mule. Kombucha beers like Kombrewcha are now being served at upscale restaurants. Kombrewcha has experienced profound growth and expansion since its debut, indicating that consumers are responsive to the concept of kombucha beer.

Across all segments of kombucha, the beverage saw impressive growth and sales through Errol Schweizer , executive global grocery coordinator for Whole Foods Market, noted that kombucha occupies up to one-third of refrigerated functional-beverage shelf space in Whole Foods stores. KeVita was acquired by PepsiCo in November Despite its regulation crisis and rippling product confusion among consumers, kombucha sales are stronger than ever and projected to keep growing.

Additionally, domestic kombucha sales have a CAGR of Analysts believe this is due in part to the new alcoholic segment of the kombucha market, like the aforementioned unadultered kombuchas and kombucha beers. Most recently, PepsiCo has taken notice of the promising future of kombucha with its purchase of leading kombucha brand KeVita in November Under the leadership of CEO Bill Moses , KeVita has become an innovative, high—growth brand that is transforming the functional beverage space This announcement is further evidence of PepsiCo's focus on delivering Performance with Purpose by continuing to evolve our health and wellness offerings to meet consumers' changing needs.

KeVita will join PepsiCo's 22 global brands that are purchased by consumers one billion times a day in over countries. This move is a strong signal of market confidence in kombucha's growth potential, in particular because Pepsi has a history of investing in multiple long term horizons, regardless of conflicting present consumer sentiment. Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi recently explained the company's investment strategy alongside another controversial announcement that the company may eventually invest in bug proteins.

Nooyi stated, "One year, three year, five year, ten year: we have different people looking at different horizons, because if you believe in the ten year horizons and what we are seeing, some of the weirdest food and beverage habits are showing up. Kombucha's strong future is evident, and perhaps best compared to the popularity arc of yogurt. Hannah Crum explains this belief within the kombucha industry when she stated, "We consider ourselves the 21st century yogurt.

In our parents' generation, you had to make your own yogurt because it wasn't a commercial product, but then people heard the health benefits and how it could extend your life and then it became a multi-million dollar industry. We think people in the future will grow up just accepting kombucha as a product they had as a kid.

This is a BETA experience. You may opt-out by clicking here. How the anti-cancer properties of tea polyphenols work is not well understood. For this reason, it is not surprising that tea drinkers are much less likely to develop various types of cancer 36 , 37 , However, whether kombucha has any anti-cancer effects in people has not been confirmed. Further studies are needed. Kombucha is a probiotic-rich tea with many potential health benefits.

You can purchase it in stores or make it yourself at home. However, be sure to prepare it properly. Contaminated or over-fermented kombucha can cause serious health problems and even death. The safer option is to buy kombucha at a store or online. Commercial products are tasty and considered alcohol-free, as they must contain less than 0. However, human studies on the effects of kombucha are few and the evidence for its health effects limited.

In contrast, there is ample evidence for the benefits of tea and probiotics, both of which are found in kombucha. Contaminated kombucha may cause more harm than good. Eating fermented foods with live probiotics can have powerful benefits for your body and brain. Here is a list of 11 super healthy probiotic foods. Fermented foods and drinks contain beneficial probiotics that can help improve digestion, immunity, and even weight loss.

Learn about 8 of them, such…. This is a detailed review of kefir and its health benefits. Kefir is a fermented milk drink that is highly nutritious and contains live probiotics. This article examines probiotics' effects on weight loss.