How to tell if your kombucha has been stripped of its good bacteria and filled with sugar - and how to find the ones that really will give your gut a boost By Charlotte Dovey Published: 21:00 EDT, 20 May 2024 | Updated: 21:02 EDT, 20 May 2024 e-mail View comments Kombucha used to be 'just' the fizzy, vinegary-tasting health drink you could find at farmers' markets. But it's now well and truly mainstream. The fermented tea — first brewed in China more than 2,000 years ago where it's regarded as the 'elixir of life', and is used for boosting immunity and maintaining the digestive system — is now widely available in pubs, coffee shops and on supermarket shelves.
Stats show the UK consumed 4.4 million litres of kombucha last year — an increase of more than 800,000 litres on the previous year. Its success is credited for our increasing appetite for 'functional health drinks' that quench our thirst and provide health benefits, says Charlotte Foster, a specialist dietitian at Barts Health NHS Trust.
In the case of kombucha, these health benefits are thought to derive largely from the fermentation process the drink goes through. This produces probiotics — beneficial bacteria — thought to help maintain the gut microbiome, the collection of microorganisms that live in the digestive tract and are important to everything from supporting our immune system to influencing our risk of becoming overweight. Kombucha - fermented tea first brewed in China more than 2,000 years ago - is.
