Green tea kombucha and heart risk markers in overweight adults
What it found
In adults with excess weight following a calorie-restricted diet, those who also drank green tea kombucha daily lowered total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, VLDL cholesterol, triglycerides, Castelli index II and uric acid from their own starting levels.
When the two groups were compared directly, there was no difference in any marker.
What they found
Studies in people
Cholesterol and triglycerides
After 10 weeks, the kombucha group had lower total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, VLDL cholesterol and triglycerides than at the start. The control group did not show these reductions.
Uric acid
Only the kombucha group lowered uric acid from their starting level after the intervention.
Blood sugar markers
Both groups lowered HOMA-beta. Only the control group showed a small rise in glycated hemoglobin, which stayed within the normal range.
Men and glycated hemoglobin
Men in the kombucha group reduced glycated hemoglobin, while men in the control group increased it. This difference between the groups was significant.
Group comparison
When the change from start to finish was compared between the two groups, there was no significant difference for any marker measured.
Other findings
Kombucha composition
The green tea kombucha contained 92 phenolic compounds, mostly flavonoids, and had a total phenolic content of 0.32 mg/mL in gallic acid equivalents.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that daily consumption of 200 mL of green tea kombucha for 10 weeks, combined with a healthy diet restricted by 500 kcal/day, reduced total cholesterol, LDL-c, VLDL-c, triglycerides, Castelli II index, and uric acid in individuals with excess body weight compared to baseline.
- They state that among men, green tea kombucha also led to a reduction in glycated hemoglobin levels when compared to the control group.
- They say these findings support the inclusion of green tea kombucha, alongside a caloric deficit, as part of nutritional strategies aimed at reducing cardiometabolic risk in individuals with excess weight.
How it was done
The authors note that few studies have looked at how kombucha affects heart and metabolic health in people. They wanted to test whether the drink adds extra benefit alongside a calorie-restricted diet.
They ran a randomised controlled trial with 59 adults with excess body weight (BMI above 27), split into a control group on a diet restricted by 500 kcal per day and a kombucha group on the same diet plus 200 mL of green tea kombucha daily. The intervention lasted 10 weeks.
What it can’t tell you
- The study was open-label, so participants and researchers knew who was drinking kombucha, which can affect reporting and behaviour.
- The authors note the sample size was small and the intervention lasted only 10 weeks, so longer or larger trials may give different results.
- The trial cannot show whether these changes would reduce actual heart disease events over time.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by FAPEMIG; Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
- Authors work at
- University of Navarra, Spain; Università degli Studi di Padova, Italy
The paper
- Title
- Effect of Green Tea Kombucha Within an Energy-Restricted Diet on Cardiometabolic Risk Markers in Individuals With Excess Body Weight: A Randomized Controlled Trial
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Licence
- CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- Bonifácio DB, Fraiz GM, Lacerda UV, et al (2026). Effect of Green Tea Kombucha Within an Energy-Restricted Diet on Cardiometabolic Risk Markers in Individuals With Excess Body Weight: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of food science. doi:10.1111/1750-3841.71050Free full textPubMed 41957662DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error