Aussie Kombucha Might Not Be As Healthy As People Think

Kombucha is the latest product being snapped up by health-conscious people who are hoping the drink will give them some health benefits.

It's a beverage that's made from fermenting sugared tea using a 'symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast', otherwise known as a SCOBY. Essentially, the SCOBY is live bacteria that's grown inside the drink and is meant to be a probiotic and healthy.

But apparently it's not as healthy in Australia as everyone would believe.

When the drink is made properly, with careful attention to detail and adherence to the recipe and the process, then it's all good.

However, according to the Courier Mail, Aussie labelling laws have created a system that means manufacturers don't have to reveal how much kombucha is in the drink.

The laws also allow producers to hide whether the drink underwent pasteurisation, which would essentially kill off all that live bacteria that you want from the drink.

The end result: you could be essentially just consuming a fizzy drink.

Jason Callender from Brisbane's Buchi Kombucha told the Courier Mail: "In the last 12 to 18 months there's been a real explosion of this convenient kombucha.

"Unfortunately, what's happened is there's been a lot of big players that have discovered there's a lot of money to be made and it's a booming market so...what's on offer is not necessarily the most authentic or living kombucha in the marketplace."

Jason says he's one of the manufacturers who have been 'pushed to the side' by larger producers who aren't 'really passionate' about making true and healthy kombucha.

However, the science hasn't yet stacked up people's claims that kombucha is beneficial.

A systematic review published this year found that all the alleged health benefits are solely based on animal studies and it's not known whether that translates to humans.

The study concluded that human trials were needed to determine whether us regular folk would be better off by drinking the beverage.

The American Cancer Society even went as far as saying that 'serious side effects and occasional deaths have been associated with drinking Kombucha tea'. It's because some people like to homebrew Kombucha and there's a risk of over-fermentation, which could make the drink overly acidic.

Featured Image Credit: Buchi Kombucha/Instagram

Topics: Food, Interesting, Community, Australia

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

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