High triglyceride levels in the body are associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, and healthy lifestyle changes can help lower triglyceride levels. Researchers from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that drinking kombucha tea may also help reduce fat accumulation and lower triglyceride levels via a worm model. When a person has too much fat stored within their body, particularly triglycerides, it can increase their risk for cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, stroke, and heart failure. Making healthy lifestyle changes such as exercising regularly, losing weight, limiting alcohol use, and eating a healthy diet can help lower triglyceride levels.
Drinking kombucha tea may help reduce fat accumulation and lower triglyceride levels in the body. Modern diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease are leading contributors to early death, and finding new ways to reduce fat accumulation is important. The researchers focused on kombucha tea as a potential way of lowering triglyceride levels. Kombucha tea, a fermented drink made from black tea and a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY), has roots in Eastern traditional medicine and is known to be a probiotic beverage. Previous animal and small-scale human studies suggest kombucha may be helpful in the treatment of various diseases, including diabetes, liver disease, and gut health.
Through a worm model, researchers found that probiotic microbes in kombucha tea colonized the worms’ intestines and created metabolic changes similar to those that occur during fasting. Animals ingesting a diet including probiotic microbes from kombucha tea experienced a reduction in fat accumulation and a lowering of triglyceride levels. The study’s findings are significant as they support purported human health benefits of kombucha tea and provide insight into how host metabolism may be altered by probiotic microbes found in the tea. This evidence is important given that many health benefits of kombucha are currently anecdotal and not supported by detailed mechanistic studies.
The study was conducted using a worm model, and the results will need to be substantiated and expanded upon in mammalian model systems to further inform how kombucha consumption impacts human physiology. An interventional cardiologist noted that saturated fat intake is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease and suggested that adapting the gut to not absorb as much saturated fats and not metabolize as much of them could have health benefits for the cardiovascular system. A registered dietitian nutritionist advised caution when consuming kombucha due to sugar content and potential interactions with certain medications. Consulting a healthcare professional is recommended to address the root causes of elevated fat accumulation or high triglyceride levels.
