What's better for your gut - yoghurt or kombucha?

Last updated 17/01/2024

Yoghurt and kombucha are both fermented foods/drinks made by adding live bacterial cultures.

To make yoghurt, the live bacterial starter cultures Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subspecies bulgaricus are added to milk. These ‘friendly’ probiotic bacteria can promote intestinal health by restoring the balance between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ bacteria in the gut (collectively known as the gut microbiome).¹ When consumed in adequate amounts, probiotics have been shown to provide a benefit to overall health.

In addition to these starter cultures, alternate probiotic cultures may be added. The type of probiotic strains added to yoghurt will generally be listed on the food label. Visit this page for more information about the digestive benefits of yoghurt and other dairy foods.

Kombucha is a fermented black tea that begins as a sugar-tea solution before a living culture of bacteria and yeast transforms these ingredients (through aerobic fermentation over 7-10 days) into a “health” drink. The final nutritional composition and taste of kombucha is dependent on the bacteria and yeast species, initial sugar and tea concentrations, oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, fermentation time, and temperature used.²

Research in animal studies has found that kombucha has anti-microbial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects.² There is currently no evidence from well-controlled human trials of health benefits from drinking kombucha.

Probiotics are found in other fermented foods like kefir, kimchi, miso, tempeh, sauerkraut and sourdough bread, but the amount, strain, efficacy and effect of the bacteria can vary hugely.