What Occurs to Your Blood Sugar When You Drink Kombucha

Sugar-sweetened drinks like soda and lemonade are recognized to spike blood sugar—however what about kombucha? Regardless of its well being halo, this fizzy fermented tea at all times accommodates added sugars, that are wanted to feed the yeast and micro organism throughout fermentation.

With insights from consultants and the most recent analysis, we’re spilling the (fermented) tea on how kombucha actually impacts blood sugar ranges.

Kombucha normally accommodates between 3 and 15 grams of sugar—on the increased finish, that’s on par with some sports activities drinks.

Sugary drinks usually trigger a speedy improve in blood sugar as a result of they include concentrated sugars which might be rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream. In contrast to meals, they lack protein, fiber, or fats, which helps decelerate digestion.

However right here’s the factor: Among the sugar listed on a kombucha label has already been damaged down throughout fermentation by the microbes—so the top product usually accommodates a lot much less sugar than the unique combine, Erin Palinski-Wade, RD, CDCES, writer of 2 Day Diabetes Food plan, instructed Well being.

This might assist clarify why some analysis means that kombucha might not have an effect on blood sugar as a lot as different drinks with comparable sugar content material. One small 2023 research even discovered that individuals who drank kombucha (with 1.7 grams of sugar) alongside a high-carb meal skilled considerably decrease blood sugar in comparison with those that drank drinks with no sugar in any respect.

This impact could also be on account of fermentation byproducts like natural acids, ethanol, and different metabolites, which “can gradual the speed at which glucose enters the bloodstream by delaying abdomen emptying and decreasing the digestion of carbohydrates,” registered dietitian and meals scientist Jennifer Pallian, BSc, RD, instructed Well being.

Kombucha’s antioxidants may also “assist your physique take up the remaining sugars extra slowly and even help higher insulin sensitivity—serving to to regular blood sugar ranges as a substitute of spiking them,” added Palinski-Wade.

That stated, the general analysis on kombucha and blood sugar has been “inconsistent,” in accordance with a 2025 assessment. And a few research discovering constructive outcomes, such because the one talked about above, have had important limitations, together with small pattern sizes and potential conflicts of curiosity on account of trade funding.

Regardless of kombucha’s probably much less detrimental impact on blood sugar in comparison with different candy drinks, Palinski-Wade stated its sugar content material remains to be one thing to bear in mind.

“For those who’re sipping on all of it day, these grams [of sugar] can nonetheless add up,” she famous. “An excessive amount of sugar, regardless of the place it comes from, is one thing all of us wish to hold in test.”

The Dietary Tips for People suggest that adults restrict added sugars to not more than 10% of their whole every day energy—or 50 grams a day for an individual who consumes 2,000 energy every day. Consuming an excessive amount of added sugar is linked with situations like kind 2 diabetes and coronary heart illness.

Whereas some kombucha manufacturers are increased in sugar, it typically accommodates lower than soda—so in case you’re a daily soda drinker, switching to kombucha may very well be a more healthy alternative.