Recent research has found that a fermented tea called kombucha may help people with type 2 diabetes manage blood sugar levels. People with type 2 diabetes who drank kombucha regularly for 4 weeks had lower fasting blood sugar levels than when they drank a similarly flavored placebo drink, according to findings published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition.
“This research is promising and exciting because drinks that contain sugar have the potential to lower blood sugar,” said study co-author Dan Merenstein, a professor of human sciences at Georgetown School of Health, as reported by Everyday Health.
For the study, he collaborated with scientists at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the non-profit medical organization MedStar Health. The researchers recruited 12 adults with type 2 diabetes with an average age of 57 years. Nine of them were women. Half of the group was African-American and the other half was white.
Each participant was asked to drink 8 ounces (one cup) of the study drink with dinner every day for four weeks. After drinking kombucha for four weeks, the participants’ average fasting blood sugar level dropped from 164 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) to 116 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). After 4 weeks of taking a placebo, the average fasting blood sugar level dropped from 162 mg/dL to 141 mg/dL, which was not statistically significant.
According to the American Diabetes Association, adults with diabetes should ideally have fasting blood sugar levels (measured before meals) between 80-130 mg/dL. Although the study showed an association between kombucha consumption and improved fasting blood sugar, Marilyn Tan, an endocrinologist at Stanford University School of Medicine in California, emphasized that the results of the study did not show recovery or resolution of diabetes in any patient.
In addition to measuring the effects of kombucha on blood sugar, the researchers also looked at the composition of the fermenting microorganisms in the drink to determine which ingredients were most active. They found that kombucha mainly contains lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid bacteria, and a type of yeast called Dekkera.
While the mechanism of blood sugar lowering is still unclear, Tan says these components may be related to changes in the gut microbiome or other metabolic changes at the cellular level.
Read also : A Plant-Based, Whole-Food Diet has been Associated to Type 2 Diabetes Remission
“Kombucha is not a substitute for diabetes care recommended by your healthcare provider,” he adds. Merenstein said kombucha could one day be a useful supplement for people with pre-diabetes or diabetes.
Source: CNN Indonesia
