can you drink kombucha while pregnant?- Although kombucha originated thousands of years ago in China, it has lately regained popularity owing to its purported health advantages. Kombucha tea has the same health advantages as black or green tea, as well as beneficial bacteria. However, the safety of consuming kombucha during pregnancy and nursing is debatable.
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can you drink kombucha while pregnant?
is a fermented tea made from green or black tea. It has grown in popularity in recent years as a result of its possible health advantages, particularly from its probiotic content.
Concerns Regarding Kombucha Consumption While Pregnant or Breastfeeding
Although kombucha has several health advantages, there are a few things to consider before taking it while pregnant or breastfeeding.
Contains Alcohol
The fermentation process of kombucha tea results in the generation of trace levels of alcohol. Kombucha sold commercially as a “non-alcoholic” beverage includes trace levels of alcohol, but no more than 0.5 percent, according to Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) standards. A 0.5 percent alcohol concentration isn’t much, and it’s the same as in most non-alcoholic beers.
However, government authorities continue to advise against drinking alcohol throughout all three trimesters of pregnancy. According to the CDC, all forms of alcohol might be equally dangerous.
Furthermore, it is critical to remember that kombucha created by homebrewers has a greater alcohol level, with some brews containing up to 3% alcohol.
If a nursing woman consumes alcohol, it can enter into her breast milk.
In general, it takes your body 1–2 hours to digest one serving of alcohol (12-ounce beer, 5-ounce wine or 1.5-ounce spirit)
Although the amount of alcohol in kombucha is far smaller than one serving of alcohol, it should still be taken into account because infants metabolize alcohol at a much slower pace than adults.
As a result, it may be prudent to delay nursing after ingesting kombucha. The consequences of consuming little amounts of alcohol during pregnancy or during breastfeeding are currently unknown. However, there is always a danger when there is ambiguity.
What Exactly Is Kombucha?
Kombucha is a fermented tea beverage that is commonly produced from black or green tea. The procedure of making kombucha varies. However, it is often a two-fermentation procedure.
In most cases, a SCOBY (a flat, circular culture of bacteria and yeast) is put in sweetened tea and fermented for a few weeks at room temperature.
The kombucha is then transferred to bottles and allowed to carbonate for another 1–2 weeks, yielding a somewhat sweet, mildly acidic, and refreshing beverage.
From then, kombucha is often chilled to slow the fermentation and carbonation process.
Kombucha is available at grocery stores, but some individuals prefer to make their own, which needs careful preparation and supervision.
Kombucha sales have lately grown due to its supposed health advantages. It contains probiotics, which help to keep your gut bacteria healthy.
Probiotics have been linked to a variety of health advantages, including improved digestive health, weight loss, and maybe even aiding in the reduction of systemic inflammation.
It’s Unpasteurized
Pasteurization is a method of sterilizing beverages and foods by heating them to eliminate hazardous germs such as listeria and salmonella.
Kombucha is not pasteurized when it is in its purest form.
During pregnancy, the FDA recommends avoiding unpasteurized items such as milk, soft cheeses, and raw juices because they may contain dangerous germs.
Exposure to dangerous organisms, such as listeria, might damage pregnant women and their unborn children, increasing the chance of miscarriage and stillbirth.
Could Become Contaminated With Harmful Bacteria
Although it is more likely to occur in home-brewed kombucha than in professionally produced beverages, kombucha can get infected with hazardous microorganisms.
Unfortunately, the same environment required to develop the friendly and beneficial probiotics in kombucha is also the habitat in which dangerous viruses and bacteria thrive.
This is why brewing kombucha under hygienic circumstances and treating it properly are critical.
Contains Caffeine
Kombucha contains caffeine since it is usually brewed with either green or black tea. Caffeine is a stimulant that may easily penetrate the placenta and enter the circulation of a newborn.
The caffeine content of kombucha varies, but it is important to keep in mind, especially since your body processes caffeine more slowly during pregnancy.
Furthermore, for nursing moms, a little amount of caffeine gets up in breast milk.
If you are a nursing mother who consumes a lot of coffee, it may make your infant cranky and encourage alertness.
As a result, pregnant and nursing women should restrict their caffeine consumption to no more than 200 mg per day.
Most studies demonstrate that taking caffeine in moderation during pregnancy is safe and has no negative effects on your fetus.
However, some research suggests that higher caffeine use may be linked to negative outcomes like as miscarriage, low birth weight, and early birth.
The Good And The Bad Bacteria
One of the reasons we like kombucha so much is because it’s alive and active, full of gut-friendly microorganisms created by fermentation. We continuously monitor our brewing process to ensure that the right temperature is maintained for those healthy bacteria to grow while also maintaining the safety of our product. This indicates our kombucha is “raw,” as traditional kombucha should be. All of the live and active cultures that emerge throughout the fermenting process are present in raw kombucha. While this is the recommended way of brewing, it produces an unpasteurized beverage that many doctors advise pregnant patients to avoid.
One of the most serious concerns about consuming kombucha while pregnant is the possibility of dangerous microorganisms being introduced during the fermentation process. To prevent the potential of infecting brews with harmful bacteria, most commercial kombucha makers follow to stringent sterilization, sanitation, and brewing processes.
Does Kombucha Contain Cafeine?
Finally, because it is made from tea, kombucha contains a little of caffeine. The caffeine concentration of loose leaf tea varies greatly depending on varietal and brewing technique. Black teas provide a stronger, more caffeinated brew, whilst white and green teas are steeped a bit lighter, yielding a more lightly caffeinated cup of tea.
Because some caffeine is used up throughout the fermentation process, the quantity of caffeine in the final product fluctuates. Finally, a 14oz bottle of Brew Dr. Kombucha has around 15mg of caffeine – almost the same as a cup of decaf coffee.
If caffeine is a problem for you or your doctor, verify the type of tea used in the kombucha and read the contents list to confirm no extra caffeine was added.
Is It Safe For Baby?
Many of the health concerns regarding consuming kombucha while pregnant revolve around the potential harm it might do to your kid.
Kombucha naturally contains alcohol as a byproduct of the fermentation process. According to the CDC, any quantity of alcohol used during pregnancy can result in a variety of health and behavioral concerns for developing newborns, including atypical facial features and learning impairments.
Second, as Dr. Fischer notes, ingesting unpasteurized juices or ciders, including kombucha, during pregnancy might raise the chance of miscarriage. Kombucha, like soft cheeses, can contain germs such as Listeria and E. coli. These can not only make you unwell, but they can also cause your baby to be born prematurely or lead you to lose your baby, according to Dr. Fisher.
According to ACOG, babies born with Listeria (listeriosis) can develop blood or brain infections. Other health issues that your kid may have as a result of the illness include paralysis, convulsions, eyesight loss, and intellectual difficulties.
Why You Should Not Drink Kombucha While Pregnant
If you were a frequent kombucha user prior to pregnancy, substituting sparkling water with juice can give the effervescent tasty quality. According to Dr. Fischer, while ingesting kombucha may have some health advantages for pregnant parents, the potential hazards are too substantial to advocate it.
The Dangers of Consuming Kombucha While Pregnant
Again, healthcare practitioners generally advise that the hazards of consuming kombucha while pregnant exceed the benefits. As a result, it is best to avoid kombucha during pregnancy. Let’s take a look at some of these dangers.
Alcohol Consumption
According to an FDA assessment, the alcohol concentration of kombucha can range between 0.7 and 1.3 percent.
8 This is on the lower end of the scale, although all medical organizations advocate restricting any alcohol use during pregnancy due to the possible danger to the growing fetus.
Bacterial Contamination
While some commercially available kombucha may be pasteurized, this is frequently the exception rather than the rule, and any home-brewed kombucha will almost certainly be unpasteurized. Unpasteurized items, which may contain potentially hazardous germs such as E. coli and Listeria, should be avoided during pregnancy.
Caffeine Consumption
Caffeine overdose is a remote possibility with kombucha. The caffeine content of most major commercial kombucha brands ranges between 8 and 14 mg per 8 ounce serving.
This caffeine, however, must be included in the daily total. Furthermore, if a person consumed more than 8 ounces of kombucha per day in addition to tea and coffee, they may surpass the caffeine guidelines. Because of the risk of miscarriage or premature birth, ACOG recommends that pregnant women drink no more than 200 mg of caffeine each day.
Health Risks For The Pregnant Parent
The majority of the possible health hazards associated with ingesting kombucha while pregnant are connected to the alcohol level and the fact that unpasteurized kombucha continues to ferment after it is bottled. When this occurs, the alcohol concentration may rise over the allowable limit (less than 0.5 percent ). There is also a potential of severe bacterial contamination, which is typically caused by incorrect brewing.
Although additional research is needed to determine the safety of kombucha during pregnancy, Dr. Mehta lists certain negative health effects connected with kombucha that make her hesitant to suggest it to expecting parents. This includes cases of deadly metabolic acidosis caused by kombucha use, as well as complaints of liver poisoning. 10 Any potentially fatal or significant health consequences should be avoided wherever feasible, especially when pregnant.
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