New study shows anti-fat effects

The ability of microbes to alter fat metabolism could explain potential benefits for human health.

A recent study found that microbes in kombucha tea influence fat metabolism in the intestines of a model worm. species in a way that reflects the metabolic effects of fasting. The research, led by Robert Dowen and his team at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was recently published in the journal PLOS Genetics.

Kombucha is a sweetened, fermented tea beverage that has recently gained popularity, in part due to its purported health benefits, such as lowering blood pressure, preventing cancer, and protecting against metabolic diseases and liver toxins. These benefits are thought to come from the drink’s probiotic microbes and their effects on metabolism, but the associated health claims have not been well studied in humans.

Methodology and research results

Dowen’s team studied how kombucha tea microbes impact metabolism by feeding them to the model nematode worm C. elegans. Researchers found that yeast and bacteria colonize the worms’ intestines and create metabolic changes similar to those that occur during fasting. Microbes change the expression of genes involved in fat metabolism, leading to more proteins that break down fat and fewer proteins that build a type of fat molecule called triglycerides. Together, these changes reduce fat stores in the worms.

Image of a small batch of Kombucha tea fermenting in the laboratory. Credit: Elizabeth Poindexter, The Graduate School at UNC-Chapel Hill, CC-BY 4.0

The new results provide insight into how probiotics in kombucha tea reshape metabolism in a model worm species and provide insights into how these microbes might impact human metabolism. It is important to remember that more research is needed to prove that humans consuming kombucha experience similar effects to the C. elegans model studied here, but these results appear consistent with the human health benefits of kombucha, the authors note, and could shed light on the use of the beverage in complementary care approaches in the future.

The authors add: “We were surprised to find that animals consuming a diet of probiotic microbes found in Kombucha tea had reduced fat accumulation, lower triglyceride levels, and smaller lipid droplets – an organelle that stores the lipids of the cell – compared to others. diets. These results suggest that microbes in kombucha tea trigger a “fasting” state in the host, even in the presence of sufficient nutrients.

Reference: “Kombucha Tea-Associated Microbes Reshape Host Metabolic Pathways to Suppress Lipid Accumulation” by Rachel N. DuMez-Kornegay, Lillian S. Baker, Alexis J. Morris, Whitney LM DeLoach, and Robert H. Dowen, March 28, 2024, PLOS Genetics.
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1011003

This work was supported by NIGMS Grant T32GM007092 to RND, NCCIH Grant F31AT012138 to RND, and NIGMS Grant R35GM137985 to RHD.