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I'm sure you've heard of the fizzy
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flavored tea known as kombucha which
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blew up on our shelves a few years ago
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let's talk about what kombucha is
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my name is Elle and I'm a specialist
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dietitian in this video we will see if
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kombucha really does deserve its name of
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tea immortality kombucha is made using
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sugar water and black or green tea and
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kombucha is made by fermenting sweetened
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scoby which stands for symbiotic culture
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of bacteria and yeast is a thick rubbery
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thing that aids the fermentation process
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which is a chemical process where a
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carbohydrate like sugar turns into
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alcohol or acid kombucha is produced
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when a scoby is added into sweetened tea
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and left to ferment for a couple of
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the bacteria and yeast that the scoby
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provides breaks down the sugars
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converting them into alcohol carbon
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dioxide and acids which is what gives
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the kombucha its face an acidic sweet
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taste the addition of the scoby and this
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fermentation process leaves kombucha
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with probiotic bacteria probiotics are
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the beneficial or friendly bacteria
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found within our digestive tract they
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are associated with health benefits and
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often are added to different food
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products improving digestion is one of
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the main functions of probiotics but
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there are associations with our
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microbiome so the collection of
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probiotic bacteria that we have in our
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gut with our weight our mental health
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the most widely investigated probiotics
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and ones for which health benefits have
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been well established are within the
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lactobacillus and bifidobacterium
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species which are commonly added to
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yogurt and fermented drinks
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Studies have Associated yogurt-rich
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diets with lower quantities of weight
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gain over long-term periods as well as
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with a reduced risk of metabolic-related
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probiotics are also commonly recommended
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for those who suffer with digestive
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conditions such as IBS they have been
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seen to reduce the frequency of diarrhea
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help to regularize bowel movements and
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improve symptoms like bloating however
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no strain or dose of probiotic has
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consistently proven to be effective to
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improve IBS symptoms and so it is
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important to recognize that they don't
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always work for everyone probiotics May
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improve our mental health too ever heard
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of the gut brain connection well the
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health of our gut microbiome is often
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linked with our mental health and a
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review of 13 studies found that
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lactobacillus and bifidobacterium
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probiotic supplementation May improve
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anxiety and depression in humans another
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more recent study found that probiotics
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both in conjunction with antidepressants
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or as an intervention on their own have
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a beneficial role in reducing symptoms
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of depression whilst kombucha does
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contain probiotic bacteria the type and
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quantity will vary among different
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brands interestingly each scoby contains
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a different combination and strains of
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bacteria which is one of the reasons why
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it's really hard to say exactly what
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strains are found in Kombucha because
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different batches let alone Brands will
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contain different bacteria which will
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all have different benefits to date
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there have not been enough studies to
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confirm whether kombucha does contain
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adequate amounts of probiotics to be
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considered an effective source so if you
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want the benefits of probiotics you're
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probably better getting them from a
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different food like live yogurt or
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yogurt if you're that way inclined or
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kefir or taking a supplement
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kombucha made from green tea Maine
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contain the same plant compounds and
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hence potential benefits as green tea
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however studies are inconclusive as to
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how the fermentation process affects
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these compounds kombucha does contain
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added sugar which I know is almost a
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cardinal sin these days and before I
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explain the purpose of the sugar in
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Kombucha I really want to highlight that
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there is no one food or food group that
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is inherently bad white or refined sugar
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gets a bad rep and we commonly see
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claims that honey or maple syrup and
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other natural sugars are better but the
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reality is that these are all considered
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free sugars and are treated quite
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similarly by the body sugar plays an
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important role in Kombucha because sugar
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is needed to feed the scoby and this is
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what ferments the kombucha and creates
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carbon dioxide which is what gives the
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kombucha its Fizz by the time the
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kombucha is made there is usually only a
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small amount of sugar left in the
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more might be added along with different
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flavorings but typically kombucha is
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considered a lower sugar drink so we can
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probably say that the jury is undecided
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on the benefits of Kombucha a recent
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review of over 300 studies found that
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only one study had empirical evidence to
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suggest that kombucha may be beneficial
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in human subjects most studies within
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this area are on animals and cannot
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simply be applied to humans so it's
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important that more research is
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conducted in human clinical trials to
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confirm some of the claims associated
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with kombucha the bottom line is if you
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enjoy the taste of Kombucha included in
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your diet but be assured that you're not
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missing out on much if you don't as
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always if you have any questions be sure
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to leave them in the comments below and
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make sure to hit like And subscribe for
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more great evidence-based nutrition
