People love kombucha because it’s high in probiotics and health-conscious types down the drink with hopes it will improve digestion and boost energy levels. Along with sauerkraut and kimchi, gut-friendly “soft” drinks kombucha - which is made by fermenting tea - and kefir (cultured, fermented milk) have become trendy in the last few years. But if you’re trying to avoid alcohol, you may want to steer clear of these buzzy beverages because they’re not actually alcohol-free. And a newAustralian studyfinds they could even contain as much booze as half a light beer.
The fermentation process is to blame, when kombucha and kefir are created, alcohol forms as a by-product. While that’s not a lot of alcohol, drinking enough of them could leave you over the limit to drive. Researchers are concerned that people don’t realize just how boozy these drinks are, especially pregnant women, designated drivers, recovering alcoholics, and youngsters who are underage.
The study measured the alcohol content in hundreds of drink samples from Australia and found that 22.9% of the kombucha samples were more than 1.15% alcohol by volume, 41.9% were between 0.5% and 1.15% ABV, and the rest were less than 0.5%. Compare that to the average beer, which is around 4.5%. Researchers also point out that the amount of alcohol in these beverages can increase the longer it is before they’re consumed. They’re now calling on manufacturers to be more responsible with labeling the drinks so people understand what they’re getting and won’t drink a couple and still think they’re totally sober.
Source:Insider