My video on kombucha was one of the first I
ever did even featured in my blog nutrition, facts.org
the first month where I marveled at the fact that
I had reached nearly 100,000 people. Now, I'm
honored to say we reach more than 100,000 a day
. When that first kombucha video, I profiled a
report published in the journal of intensive care medicine of
a case of kombucha T toxicity. Young guy ending
up in an acidotic coma which concluded that while kombucha
t is considered a healthy elixir, the limited evidence
currently available raises considerable concern that it may pose serious
health risks. Consumption of this tea should be discouraged
and may be associated with a life-threatening lactic acidosis.
This is just one of several case reports of serious
and sometimes fatal liver dysfunction and lactic acidosis within close
proximity of ingestion. For example, two cases in
Iowa with severe metabolic acidosis including one death. The
triggering of a life-threatening autoimmune muscle disease requiring emergency surgery
, probably related to kombucha, shaking, shortness of
breath and a movement disorder. After consumption of tea
and no other medications. Zero Stoia dizziness, nausea
, vomiting, headache and neck pain which recurred on
re ingestion of the tea. Another case of severe
metabol lactic acidosis, a case of hepatotoxic liver toxicity
that result after stopping kombucha, why these sporadic cases
, maybe some unusual toxins developed in a particular batch
. I mean it is a fermented product. So
it's possible and just some are contaminated by some bad
bug. Uh like the time people smeared kombucha on
their skin because they were told it had magical healing
power. What instead it had was anthrax growing in
it. So even though such reports were rare,
10 years ago, I concluded, maybe we should
stick to foods that haven't put people in a coma
. But look, everything in life is all about
risk versus benefit. Maybe it's worth it after all
, it's reputed to cure cancer, eliminate wrinkles and
even restore gray hair to its original color marketed by
alternative and naturopathic healers throughout the United States. Currently
, kombucha is praised as the ultimate health drink or
damned is unsafe. Claim to be a universal wonderful
drug known as a purifying potion. But is it
a potion or poison? Evidently back in the twenties
, thirties and forties, there were several medical studies
conducted by recognized physicians and confirming all sorts of beneficial
effects. I couldn't wait to read them. Ok
. So they cite uh dure and Farm Worth.
Ok. There it is same claim citing Alan.
Ok. What's Allen? 1998? Oh, you
gotta be kidding me. Right. You're citing some
Rando Kombucha website. Here it is defunct since 2001
sourced citation list from stuff that was posted on some
mailing list. Finally in 2003, a systematic review
of the clinical evidence that was published. And the
main result of the systematic review was the total lack
of efficacy data. No clinical studies were found.
So we just have these, you know, these
cautionary tail case reports and so on the basis of
these data, it was concluded that the largely undetermined
benefits do not outweigh the documented risks of kombucha can
therefore not be recommended. Ok. But that was
back in 2003. How about a 2019 systematic review
of the empirical evidence of human health benefits. The
nonhuman subjects literature claim numerous health benefits of kombucha meaning
mice and rats. Uh but what we need are
human clinical trials and still not a single controlled human
study. But they did find one uncontrolled study showing
a significant before and after reduction in fasting and after
a meal, blood sugars among type two diabetics.
Nonetheless, despite no controlled trials, a significant commercial
shelf space is now dedicated to kombucha products. And
this is widespread belief that the products promote health.
So we're left with this kind of extreme disparity between
science and belief with little convincing clinical evidence. Yet
health claims that are as far reaching as they are
implausible while the potential for harm seems considerable in such
extreme cases, health care professionals should discourage consumers from
using and paying for anything that only seems to benefit
those who sell it.