The probiotics in kombucha appear to affect fat metabolism in a way that is similar to the changes experienced during fasting. In the end, less fat is stored.
A research team at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill used nematodes (Caenorhabditis elegans) to investigate the effects of kombucha microbes on fat metabolism. The results are published in the specialist magazine “PLOS Genetics”.
Health Benefits of Kombucha
Kombucha tea has been linked to a wide range of health benefits due to its probiotic properties. Previous studies have shown that kombucha promotes heart and intestinal health and can lower blood sugar levels in diabetes.
These benefits are believed to be due to the drink’s probiotic microbes and their effects on metabolism, the researchers explain. So far, however, this has not been sufficiently proven.
Effects on fat metabolism?
The research team has therefore now examined the effects on fat metabolism on roundworms. For this purpose, the worms were fed exclusively with the microbes from kombucha tea.
The researchers found that the yeasts and bacteria from kombucha colonize the worms’ intestines and cause metabolic changes that are similar to those caused by fasting.
Reduced fat storage
The microbes change the expression of genes involved in fat metabolism, resulting in more proteins that break down fats and fewer proteins that form a type of fat molecule called triglycerides, the team reports. Fat storage has also decreased.
“We were surprised that animals that consumed a diet consisting of the probiotic microbes contained in kombucha tea had lower fat accumulation, lower triglyceride levels and smaller lipid droplets compared to others,” emphasize the researchers.
Further studies required
While more research is needed to verify whether similar effects occur in people who consume kombucha, the results appear to be consistent with the already known health benefits of kombucha in humans, the research team said.
Overall, the results suggest that the microbes in kombucha tea trigger a “fasting-like” state in the host, even when sufficient nutrients are present, the experts conclude. (fp)
