Kombucha – Liver Damage, Kidney Damage and Diabetes

“The microbial community of Kombucha tea consists of bacteria and yeast which thrive in two mutually non-exclusive compartments: the soup or the beverage and the biofilm floating on it,” says Internal Journal of Food Microbiology.

The journal tested the tea beverage at different times up to 21 days of fermentation.

They found, “The yeast community of the biofilm did not show much variation over time and was dominated by Candida sp. (73.5-83%). The soup however, showed a significant shift in dominance from Candida sp. to Lachancea sp. on the 7th day of fermentation. This is the first report showing Candida as the most dominating yeast genus during Kombucha fermentation. Komagateibacter was identified as the single largest bacterial genus present in both the biofilm and the soup (~50%).”

As we already know there are good bacteria and bad bacteria. Bacteria is a decomposer, breaking down matter. In the forest bacteria breaks down decaying leaves and wood. This feeds the soil.

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“The bacterial diversity was higher in the soup than in the biofilm with a peak on the seventh day of fermentation. The biochemical properties changed with the progression of the fermentation, beneficial properties of the beverage such as the radical scavenging ability increased significantly with a maximum increase at day 7,” they reported.

The American Society for Microbiology, Genome Announcements tested booch and found, “Komagataeibacter intermedius AF2, previously known as Gluconacetobacter intermedius, is a Gram-negative rod isolated from Kombucha tea.”

The tea was plated, incubated aerobically and analysed. They found Komagataeibacter intermedius AF2 produced 1.41 g/L of cellulose and found, “Gene content similar to related species: K. rhaeticus (3,460 genes), K. xylinus (3,195),K. hansenii (3,308), K. medellinensis (3,195), K. europaeus 5P3 (3,586),K. oboediens 174Bp2 (3,601), and G. diazotrophicus (3,864).”

Gluconacetobacter produces cellulose, a chain of linked sugar molecules. Cellulose is in vegetables holding the cell walls together and giving strength. 

The kombucha is a known Acetobacteraceae family habitat. Molekuliarnaia Biologiia says, ” Acetobacteraceae are often hard to culture in laboratory conditions and they also maintain very low abundances in their natural habitats. Thus identification of the organisms in such environments is greatly dependent on modern tools of molecular biology which require a thorough knowledge of specific conserved gene sequences that may act as primers and or probes.”

Food Chemistry reported a study testing 10 different types of tea used to ferment kombucha. They found, “An enhancement of the antioxidant and starch hydrolase inhibitory potential of the herbal teas was observed by adding the tea fungus.” This study, however, was retracted citing “article withdrawal.”

Article Withdrawal happens for, “Potential error content or possible infringements of professional ethical codes such as multiple submission, bogus claims of authorship, plagiarism, fraudulent use of data or the like.”

The article showed, “The enhancement of antioxidant and starch hydrolase inhibitory properties.”

The Journal of Food Science and Technology reported a study on kombucha, which they also call bio-tea. In the study  rats with myocardial damage were tested. They stated, “Traditional claims about Kombucha report beneficial effects such as antibiotic properties, gastric regulation, relief from joint rheumatism and positive influence on the cholesterol level, arteriosclerosis, diabetes, and aging problems.”

They found, “Bio-tea showed a higher preventive effect against myocardial infarction when compared to tea, as was observed by the significant reduction in heart weight, and blood glucose and increase in plasma albumin levels. Bio-tea significantly decreased cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL and VLDL while simultaneously increasing the levels of HDL. Similarly a decrease in leakage of cardiac markers from the myocardium was also observed.”

One study published in Pharmaceutical Biology showed the effect of rats fed a cholesterol rich diet for 16 weeks with the the effect of Kombucha. They found, “KT (Kombucha) induced a 55% decrease of TBARS level in liver and 44% in kidney, compared with those of rats fed a cholesterol-rich diet alone. Moreover, CAT and SOD activities were reduced by 29 and 33%, respectively, in liver and 31 and 35%, respectively, in kidney, after oral administration of KT.”

TBARS develop as fats are processed in the liver resulting in cell damage. The oxidative stress of this process leads to disease. Some people who can listen to their body crave Kombucha after they have eaten a fat laden meal. 

However, the Internal Journal of Food Microbiology reported the study saying, “We further observed a significantly higher d-saccharic acid-1,4-lactone content and caffeine degradation property compared to previously described Kombucha tea fermentations.”

They concluded, “The findings revealed that KT administration induced attractive curative effects on hypercholesterolemic, particularly in terms of liver–kidney functions in rats.”

Food And Agriculture Immunology published a study done on 18 mice fed Kombucha showing, “Images of stained tissue sections from all groups demonstrated that inflammation criteria and demyelination in mice treated by kombucha tea were significantly less than control mice.”

They further added, “Staining of brains sections showed that kombucha tea therapy could suppress the progression of inflammation significantly by restricting leukocyte infiltration.”

The Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology printed a study on Kombucha finding booch has, “The potential to revert the CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity. Antioxidant molecules produced during the fermentation period could be the reason for the efficient hepatoprotective and curative properties of KT against CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity.”

In layman’s terms this means Kombucha showed curative properties of liver damage.

The Journal of Food Protection says, “Kombucha has in vitro antimicrobial activity and enhances sleep and pain thresholds in rats.”

BioMed Central Complementary and Alternative Medicine reported a study which performed a study lasting 31 days on diabetic rats showing, “The findings revealed that kombucha tea administration induced attractive curative effects on diabetic rats, particularly in terms of liver-kidney functions. Kombucha tea can, therefore, be considered as a potential strong candidate for future application as a functional supplement for the treatment and prevention of diabetes.”

Researchers in the study induced brain inflammation in the animals. Inflammation in the mice “was delayed in kombucha tea-treated mice compared to control mice.”

*Nourishing Plot is written by Becky Plotner, ND, traditional naturopath, CGP, D.PSc. who sees clients in Rossville, Georgia. She works as a Certified GAPS Practitioner who sees clients in her office, Skype and phone. She has been published in Wise Traditions, spoken at two Weston A. Price Conferences, Certified GAPS Practitioner Trainings, has been on many radio shows, television shows and writes for Nourishing Plot. Since her son was delivered from the effects of autism (Asperger’s syndrome), ADHD, bipolar disorder/manic depression, hypoglycemia and dyslexia, through food, she continued her education specializing in Leaky Gut and parasitology through Duke University, finishing with distinction. She is a Chapter Leader for The Weston A. Price Foundation. becky.nourishingplot@hotmail.com

“GAPS™ and Gut and Psychology Syndrome™ are the trademark and copyright of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. The right of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Patent and Designs Act 1988.