Kombucha tea: elixir of youth or another dubious fad about to fade?

Kombucha is the new byword for New Age health consciousness, and its adherents have claimed wondrous healing properties of the brew; the question remains if it is all hype.

The trendy Kombucha has been filling up supermarket shelves over the last few years as aficionados of the tea have claimed wide-ranging health benefits from ingesting the brew – anything from detoxifying properties, curing diabetes to boosting the immune system. It has even been purported to fight off aging as a result of its alleged anti-oxidant properties.

"It's become incredibly trendy lately in the 20-to-30-something, foodie, intelligentsia set," said Dr. Daphne Miller, a family practitioner and a professor of nutrition and integrative medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. "Kombucha is like their Coca-Cola."

Many celebrities have joined the Kombucha bandwagon. Lindsay Lohan, Meg Ryan, Madonna and Halle Berry have all been spotted imbibing the concoction. This has made Kombucha big business. According to the New York Times, Kombucha tea, along with other “functional” juices, sales soared to $295 million in 2010. Popularity has surged also because people have learned how to make the tea at home.

But is that enthusiasm warranted?

Kombucha tea is made by fermenting sweetened black or green tea with a special yeast and bacteria culture. The culture mainly contains a symbiosis of Acetobacter (acetic acid bacteria) and a colony of yeasts. The resulting mix contains organic acids, active enzymes, amino acids, and polyphenols. Examples include acetic acid (a mild antibiotic), butyric acid, B-vitamins, malic acid, and oxalic acid. Drink all that and you just might stumble into a rejuvenated, energized you, according to enthusiasts.

And yet… There have been no published studies to support the reported health benefits of the drink. Neither Dr. Brent Bauer of the Mayo Clinic, nor Dr. Andrew Weil, himself a well-respected doctor of alternative cures, have recommended Kombucha. "I don't recommend Kombucha tea at all. I know of no scientific studies backing up the health claims made for it,” Dr. Weil writes on his website.

On the other hand, skeptics warn of the documented cases of harm having resulted as a consequence of drinking excessive Kombucha. Back in April 1995, two women who had consumed Kombucha for two months were hospitalized with severe acidosis – a dangerous increase in the acidity of the blood and tissue. One woman died from cardiac arrest two days later. The other woman also went into cardiac arrest, but she was successfully revived and survived the episode.

And in 2009, a young man was hospitalized with breathing problems, high lactic acid levels, fever and confusion. He eventually recovered. He had drunk Kombucha 12 hours before his symptoms began.

The cases highlight the dangers of jumping on the Kombucha joyride a little too enthusiastically. In addition to allergic reactions and frank blood poisoning, brewing one’s own Kombucha risks various contamination dangers. For example, ceramic pots in which Kombucha is brewed might lead to lead poisoning, as the acids in the tea may leach lead from the ceramic glaze.

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Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

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