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Covid-19 poses high chances of death to people above 40: ICMR study

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date August 25, 2023

The latest research paper released by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has revealed that covid-19 people above 40 years of age, men with co-morbidities and those individuals who suffered moderate to severe covid-19 were associated with higher odds of post-discharge one-year mortality, whereas 60% protection was conferred by vaccination before the covid-19 infection.

Of the 14,419 participants from 31 hospitals across the country who were followed up at least once between four weeks and one year post discharge, 942 (6.5%) had died and the remaining (93.5%) were reported alive at any contact during one year of follow up.

The study titled– “Determinants of post discharge mortality among hospitalized covid-19 patients: Nested matched case-control analyses from the National Clinical Registry for covid-19″ has now been published in the latest issue of Indian Journal of Medical Research (IJMR) was conducted by the National Clinical Registry for covid-19 study team.

“Participants who had received at least one dose of the anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccine before their covid-19 infection had a lower risk of post-discharge mortality,” the study said.

“Emphasis was put on the 18-45 years of age to understand the factors associated with post discharge death in young adults. Factors associated with death in them after discharge were similar to the ones observed in other age brackets. Prior anti-covid-19 vaccination did lend some protection against all-cause post discharge death in this age group, although this cannot be claimed conclusively as the association was not statistically significant,” the study said.

The limitations of the current investigation include reliance on telephonic follow-up, which could have led to underreporting of the symptoms. The present analyses only included patients who were hospitalized due to covid-19, and consequently, the findings cannot be generalized to all patients who had covid-19, the study stated. In addition to this, ICMR is also conducting a multicentric hospital-based matched case-control study on the effect of covid-19 vaccine on heart attack among 18–45-year-old population in India in 2022 and on factors associated with sudden deaths among adults aged 18–45 years in India.

New Covid variants Eris vs BA 2.86: Is the one scarier than the other? Know difference between symptoms

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date August 22, 2023

Eris vs BA 2.86, both are variants from XBB lineage which is a descendent of Omicron. Here’s what to know about their symptoms are transmissibility.

Even as pandemic threat subsides, Covid-19 virus continues to evolve and most recently two Covid variants namely Eris or EG.5 and BA 2.86 have been increasing the caseload in UK, China and other countries. While Covid symptoms seem to have become milder with course of time and newer variants, the mutations in the spike protein have increased due to which they are becoming good at escaping immunity and also infecting people faster. While EG.5 has been declared variant of interest, BA 2.86 is being called variant under monitoring by WHO. BA 2.86 is said to be highly mutated and this particular strain has some new symptoms associated with it, says Dr Pavithra Venkatagopalan, corona-virologist and Covid awareness specialist at Rotary Club of Madras NextGen in a conversation with HT Digital.

Why newer variants of Covid-19 are evolving

“The virus causing Covid-19 has continued to evolve from the time it was identified in December 2019. Over these last 3-3.5 years, we have seen lot of different variants come and go and each of these variants have lot of properties in common and some other varying ones. One of the common properties include the transmission via droplets. This has not changed in any of the variants that have come so far. We have seen the beta, gamma, delta, and Omicron variants. All these variants are causing Covid-19. What happens is when people with different symptoms of Covid-are identified, their sample is collected and sent for sequencing. Sequencing is a simple way of understanding what this virus is made of. Each of these variants behave differently because they have different genetic sequence changes,” says Dr Pavithra.

Eris or EG.5 and BA 2.86 are the two variants that have been making headlines as they are spreading very fast and are able to evade vaccine immunity or immunity acquired from an infection. Dr Pavithra explains the difference between the two strains.

Difference between EG.5 and BA 2.86 Covid variants

“We have a new ‘variant of interest’ and another fresh ‘variant under monitoring’ at this point – one is Eris EG.5 and the other is BA2.86. Both of these are variants from XBB lineage which is a descendent of Omicron. The difference is we have identified more of Eris cases worldwide which seems to have high rates of transmissibility. Whether we have more cases of BA2.86 or not, we have to see,” says Dr Pavithra.

New Covid symptoms of BA 2.86

Dr Pavithra says BA 2.86 has few new extra symptoms which seem to be associated with this variant infection.

“People are getting rashes, there is some eye redness, there is some cases of diarrhoea,” she says.

Fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle aches, headache, loss of taste and smell, and sore throat are symptoms that are being reported with Eris infection.

Does this make BA 2.86 less or scarier? These aren’t overly surprising symptoms, but it’s a sudden change that shows the virus is continuously evolving, says Dr Pavithra.

New vaccines to fight new variants

“BA 2.86 has 36 new mutations that may allow it to evade the antibodies we already have. In the US and Germany they are upgrading PFizer and Moderna against the new strains. This doesn’t mean that the shots we took earlier are not effective, but they may be less effective. The battle between our immune system and the virus will be constantly faced as virus evolves. If not vaccinated, we must make sure you get it, especially if it’s been over a year.

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New Covid variant EG.5: Symptoms to transmissibility; 7 things to know about Omicron subvariant Eris

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date August 16, 2023

Covid variant EG.5 which is also unofficially known as Eris has been declared by WHO a variant of interest and the organization has asked countries to monitor the cases. Eris has been spreading fast in UK and is adding to the number of infections. Experts, however, say there’s no need to worry as the cases are largely mild and while hospitalisation cases in elderly have slightly increase, they remain lower than earlier waves. As per WHO, Eris has been found in 51 countries, including China, the US, the Republic of Korea, Japan, Canada, Australia, Singapore, the UK, France, Portugal and Spain. The symptoms of the new Covid variant Eris are reported to be running nose, sneezing, cough, fever, fatigue among others.

“The World Health Organization has identified a new strain of Covid-19 as a noteworthy variation, despite the little risk to the general public’s health. The EG. 5 or ‘Eris’ version, which is more prevalent globally, is connected to the Omicron subvariant XBB.1.9.2. Despite EG.5’s higher prevalence, growth advantage, and immune escape traits, no changes in disease severity have been noted yet. As per availability of suggested data, there is currently no reason to believe that this wave will be worse than past waves this year, but it will likely result in a wave of more cases and all the complications that brings, including more hospitalizations and Long Covid,” says Dr Vidya S Nair, Sr. Consultant & HOD- Pulmonology at Marengo Asia Hospitals, Faridabad.

Dr Ather Pasha, Senior consultant Internal Medicine, CARE Hospitals, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad shares 7 things you want to know about Covid’s new variant Eris.

New Covid variant EG.5: Symptoms to transmissibility; 7 things to know about Omicron subvariant Eris

7 facts about EG.5 or Eris

1. Omicron’s sub-variant

Eris is a subvariant of the Omicron variant, specifically XBB.1.9.2. It was first identified in China in February 2023 and has since spread to over 50 countries.

2. Transmissibility higher?

Eris is thought to be more transmissible than previous Omicron subvariants, but it is not clear if it is more severe. Early studies suggest that Eris may cause more hospitalizations than previous Omicron subvariants, but more research is needed to confirm this.

3. Eris evades immunity gained by infection or vaccination

Eris appears to be able to evade some of the antibodies produced by previous COVID-19 infections and vaccinations. This means that people who have been previously infected or vaccinated may still be at risk of getting sick with Eris.

4. Signs and symptoms of Eris

The symptoms of Eris are similar to those of other COVID-19 variants, including fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle aches, headache, and sore throat. Some people with Eris may also experience a loss of taste or smell.

5. Treatment for Eris

There is no specific treatment for Eris. Treatment is supportive and includes rest, fluids, and over-the-counter medications to relieve symptoms. In some cases, hospitalization may be necessary.

6. Ways to prevent Eris

The best way to protect yourself from Eris is to get vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19. Vaccination and boosters help to protect you from getting sick, even if you do get infected.

7. Covid-appropriate behaviour

You can also protect yourself from Eris by wearing a mask, social distancing, and washing your hands frequently.

“Since vaccination is still the strongest defense against upcoming Covid-19 waves, it is crucial that everyone get all of the doses for which they are qualified as soon as possible. In India, presence of herd immunity also is going to be an added advantage as we have seen multiple waves of the Omicron variants. Long-term illness in anyone who has the infection is always a concern, as is severe disease in older adults and people with underlying problems. Therefore, every precaution should be taken (including avoiding crowded areas, wearing appropriate masking, cleaning hands, etc,” says Dr Nair.

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New coronavirus variant EG.5 on the rise: WHO, CDC on alert

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date August 12, 2023

The EG.5 variant has been spreading rapidly in the US and has higher transmissibility. A US health official says updated vaccines will offer protection.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday classified a new strain of COVID-19 as a “variant of interest.” The EG.5 variant has been spreading rapidly in the United States, encompassing over 17% of cases. It has also been detected in China, South Korea, Japan and Canada.

What else do we know about the EG.5 variant of COVID-19?

The WHO said that the new variant does not at present seem to pose an additional public health risk compared to other strains of COVID-19.

“Collectively, available evidence does not suggest that EG.5 has additional public health risks relative to the other currently circulating Omicron descendent lineages,” the organization said.

It said that a more comprehensive evaluation of the risk posed by EG.5 was needed.

Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead on COVID-19, said that while EG.5 had increased transmissibility, infections were not more severe than other Omicron variants.

“We don’t detect a change in severity of EG.5 compared to other sublineages of Omicron that have been in circulation since late 2021,” she said.

Meanwhile, Dr Mandy Cohen, the director of the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said that updated vaccines to be offered in mid-to-late September will provide protection against the variant.

“Right now, what we’re seeing with the changes in the viruses, they’re still susceptible to our vaccine, they’re still susceptible to our medicines, they’re still picked up by the tests,” Cohen said.

The CDC chief said that the mutations in the virus amounted to “small changes” and “subtypes of what we’ve seen before.”

“We are likely to see this as a recommendation as an annual COVID shot just like we have an annual flu shot,” she said.

Countries not reporting COVID-19 data, WHO says

Meanwhile, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that many countries were not reporting coronavirus data to the organization.

He said only 11% had reported hospitalizations and ICU admissions related to COVID-19.

The WHO issued a set of recommendations for reporting data on the virus, particularly mortality and morbidity. It also urged countries to continue offering vaccination.

“About a year ago, we were in a much better situation to either anticipate or act or be more agile,” Van Kerkhove said.

“And now the delay in our ability to do that is growing. And our ability to do this is declining.”

“What we cannot do right now is give you an accurate statistic of how many deaths are actually occurring for Covid-19,” she said.

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Rainbow diet for mental health: 9 colourful foods to boost energy, feel happy

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date August 10, 2023

Different coloured plant foods contain a variety of nutrients, antioxidants, and phytochemicals that support brain function and mood regulation.

When it comes to disease prevention, boosting immunity and brain power, people often wonder what foods to add to their diet for warding off chronic diseases, dementia, depression and to supply their bodies with essential vitamins and minerals. Apart from a balanced diet, nutrition experts recommend including a blast of colours to your plate for improving not just body function but cognitive function. It is usual to feel lethargic, low on energy and anxious for people in modern times due to a combination of factors from lack of good nutrition to accumulation of stress. There is a deep connection between mood regulation and diet and if one can understand it, it’s possible to stay in the best of moods that will also support productivity and a feeling of well-being.

What is a rainbow diet

A rainbow diet is one which contains fruits and vegetables in different colours like red, yellow, purple, green, orange et al. The idea of this diet is to minimise carbs, gluten, fat or meat which could be burdening your system and making it ill over a period of time. Rainbow diet has fruits and veggies with specific micronutrients that can support health and provide necessary antioxidants and anti-inflammatory molecules. The high amount of fibre in this diet can work wonders for digestive system which can further support your overall health including mental well-being.

“Eating the rainbow is essential for optimal mental health and well-being. Different coloured plant foods contain a variety of nutrients, antioxidants, and phytochemicals that support brain function and mood regulation. As a nutritional psychiatrist, I recommend various ways to incorporate the rainbow into your diet,” says Dr Uma Naidoo, Harvard trained psychiatrist, Professional Chef and Nutrition Specialist in her recent Instagram post.

Dr Naidoo shares different ways to add colours to your plate and how they benefit you:

1. Colourful vegetables and fruits

Aim to consume a diverse range of colourful vegetables and fruits. These foods provide vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that help protect brain cells from damage and support cognitive function.

2. Leafy greens

They are rich in folate, which is important for neurotransmitter production and mood stability:

3. Berries

They are packed with antioxidants that protect against oxidative stress, which can contribute to mood disorders.

4. Orange and yellow foods

Consume foods like sweet potatoes, carrots, and bell peppers. They contain beta-carotene and vitamin C, which are beneficial for brain health and immune function.

5. Purple foods

Include purple fruits like grapes, blackberries, and plums. They contain anthocyanins that have anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects.

6. Whole grains

Choose colourful whole grains like quinoa, brown rice, and whole wheat. These grains provide sustained energy and are linked to improved mood and cognitive function.

7. Nuts and seeds

Snack on a variety of nuts and seeds such as almonds, walnuts, chia seeds, and flaxseeds. They provide healthy fats, fibre, and essential nutrients that support brain health.

8. Lean proteins

Opt for lean protein sources like fish, poultry, legumes, and tofu. These foods provide amino acids that are essential for neurotransmitter production.

9. Herbs and spices

Incorporate herbs and spices like turmeric, ginger, and rosemary. They contain compounds that have anti-inflammatory and cognitive-enhancing properties.

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New Covid variant Eris detected in Maharashtra; should India be worried? What experts say

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date August 9, 2023

Amid spread of new Covid variant, India needs to be careful, as Covid appropriate behaviour has taken a back seat and immunity is waning, says expert.

New Covid variant EG.5.1 or Eris that has been adding to the surge of Coronavirus cases in UK has also been causing slight increase in Coronavirus caseload in Maharashtra. The new Omicron variant was first detected in May but did not cause any notable impact in the months of subsequent months of June and July. However, as per state health department data, Covid cases have increased from 70 at the end of July to 115 on August 6, said a TOI report. The new Covid strain Eris has increased hospitalisation cases among elderly in UK and while there is no need to panic, it’s imperative to keep a close watch on it. The rise in Corona cases could be due to waning immunity from previous infections or vaccinations and it’s important to take booster shots to fight the virus.

‘India needs to be careful amid waning immunity’

“The concern about new Covid-19 strains depend on various factors, including their transmissibility, severity, and the effectiveness of vaccines and treatments against them. Given that viruses can mutate over time, there is always a possibility of new strains emerging. The latest strain EG5.1, also known as Eris is one such strain which WHO is closely monitoring. India needs to be careful, since the Covid appropriate behaviour has taken a back seat and vaccination immunity is probably waning. So, if caught off guard, it can be disastrous,” says Dr Ravi Shekhar Jha, Director & HOD-Pulmonology, Fortis Escorts Hospital, Faridabad.

“The new strain was initially started from the United Kingdom, and now very few cases have been reported in Mumbai. Since the positivity rate or any upsurge in cases have not been reported so far, thus this strain may not be of much concern for India,” says Dr Kuldeep Kumar Grover, Head of critical care & Pulmonology – CK Birla Hospital, Gurgaon.

Symptoms of Eris or EG5.1

“The symptoms are same as previous variants, like cough, cold, fever, throat pain and chest tightness, but in immunocompromised people and some susceptible individuals, it can lead to fatal ARDS. It also appears to be more contagious than previous variants,” adds Dr Jha.

“Usually, infected people may witness mild kind of Covid feelings since this is the new co-variant of Omicron strain, but that may not cause any significant harm. As we all know that rapid spread of the Covid strain is characterised by more infectivity and less visibility. But since almost every individual has been double vaccinated and has developed hybrid immunity, the infection spread rate may be minimal, with almost nil hospitalisation,” says Dr Grover.

“We need to keep a close watch and need to follow normal hygiene like hand wash and mask at public places which also effectively reduces the risk of other viral and some bacterial infections. The cases in Maharashtra are not of too much concern but again, since this is flu season and season of fever due to other causes too, like malaria, typhoid and Dengue, we are not testing enough for Covid, so cases may be missed. We need to be careful if we see sudden spike in fever cases where no cause could be established,” says Dr Jha.

What people in India need to do for avoiding Covid infection

“So first and foremost, three things to ensure – healthy balanced diet, hygienic lifestyle, regular vaccination (if applicable or flu shots), and again following the Covid appropriate behaviour – wearing mask, avoiding crowded places and proper sanitisation,” says Dr Grover.

While the strain hasn’t increased the cases much, “public need to be vigilant on their part and follow the safety precautions, even though this strain does not seem to be that much contagious,” as per Dr Grover.

New Covid variant Eris spreading rapidly in UK; know symptoms and prevention measures

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date August 8, 2023

From running nose to fatigue, know 5 symptoms of new Covid variant Eris that is spreading fast in UK.

The pandemic has eased but newer variants of Covid keep emerging. EG.5.1 or Eris that was first identified in May has been raising the number of Covid cases in UK and currently 1 out of 10 Covid cases in UK are due to this latest strain which is not currently listed as variant of concern. Eris has been contributing to hospitalisation cases in UK albeit mostly among elderly.

Experts opine that there is a need to keep a close eye on this new strain which is of Omicron lineage and spreads faster than the original Covid-19 virus. However, there is no reason to believe that EG.5.1 is deadlier than previous strain. The rise in cases could be due to waning immunity from previous infections or vaccinations and it’s important to take booster shots to build up a defence against the virus.

Eris raising hospitalisation cases among elderly

“As seasons are changing and Covid virus continues to spread, newer variants continue to emerge worldwide. One of the recent variants that has been identified is Eris variant which has recognised to be come out of UK where it has been known to cause 1 in 10 of the Covid cases. This is showing an increase in number of cases in UK, with a somewhat higher levels of hospitalisation for people who are seniors even if they are vaccinated. So, it is something which we need to keep an eye on. This is strain of the Omicron variant which itself was significantly mutated compared to the original Covid 19 virus that came in 2019,” says Dr Pavithra Venkatagopalan, corona-virologist and Covid awareness specialist at Rotary Club of Madras NextGen.

Symptoms of new Covid variant Eris

This variant has very similar symptoms compared to previous variants as per Dr Pavithra.

Running nose
Sneezing
Cough
Fever
Fatigue (mild or severe depending on the person’s composition).

Preventive measures

Dr Pavithra says people need to take booster shots if they haven’t done already and get tested in case of any symptoms to contain the spread.

“We have to keep an eye on spread of this variant. However treatment and preventive measures continue to be the same. Unvaccinated people should get vaccinated as soon as they are eligible. Booster shots have to be taken if not done so far. If people are known to be showing symptoms, they need to be isolated, get tested if needed. More importantly, now that the schools have started in full swing, the wave will see increase in number of cases. But whether this will result in hospitalisation of the younger population we do not know,” says the expert.

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Why developing the world’s first malaria vaccine has taken so long

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date August 5, 2023

On July 5th the World Health Organisation, UNICEF and Gavi, an organisation promoting vaccination, announced that 12 African countries would receive 18m doses of the world’s first malaria vaccine. Mosquirix, developed by GSK, a British pharma firm, will be deployed over two years with deliveries starting at the end of 2023. It is expected to save tens of thousands of lives each year, mostly of very young children. Around 95% of malaria cases and deaths are in Africa, and at least 28 countries there have expressed an interest in the new jab; by 2026 demand is expected to reach 40m-60m doses. Why has it taken so long to develop a malaria vaccine?

Malaria, a parasitic infection transmitted by mosquitoes, is one of Africa’s deadliest diseases. Although it is treatable, the infection must be identified and the patient attended to quickly. That is difficult in the continent’s many remote rural areas. As a result malaria kills nearly 500,000 children under the age of five every year. Hitherto the best option has been to try to prevent malaria with insecticide-treated nets and antimalarial drugs. But these efforts have been insufficient. Scientists have been trying to develop a vaccine for decades. Mosquirix had been in the works since the 1980s.

The development of an effective malaria vaccine has been a formidable scientific challenge. Normally, vaccines work by training the immune system to recognise antigens—typically proteins—that are found on the surface of the infectious agent. But targeting such proteins on the Plasmodium parasite that causes malaria has proven difficult. The parasite has a multi-stage life cycle, which presents different antigens at different stages, making it harder to pick the best target. It has also evolved ways of avoiding detection by the human immune system. For example, the parasite can turn off a protein on its surface, which allows it to travel undetected between blood cells. Once it has infected a new cell it switches the protein back on. All this means it has been hard to find the right antigen to flag to the immune system. But Mosquirix has managed to find a point in the parasite’s life cycle that is possible to target: the stage before it infects liver cells.

Between 2019 and 2021 trials in 800,000 children in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi found that inoculation led to a 30% reduction in severe malaria infections, and a 10% decline in mortality. Shortages of supply mean that the vaccine is for now being allocated to countries where the burden of malaria is heaviest (see map).

Although the vaccine is a milestone in malaria treatment, more work is needed. Mosquirix’s efficacy is relatively low—particularly when compared with the 95% achieved by covid-19 vaccines. But a more effective jab, R21/Matrix-M, might be in sight. Small-scale trials suggest it could have an 77% efficacy rate—although this rate has not been shown in late-stage trials. Adrian Hill, director of Oxford University’s Jenner Institute, which developed R21, told the Lancet, a medical journal, that he hoped it would be possible to bring annual malaria deaths down to fewer than 50,000 globally by the end of the decade. Slightly behind R21 is an early-stage mRNA malaria vaccine developed by BioNtech, a German pharma firm. This innovation points to a future where malaria is preventable, and much less deadly than it is today. Some even hope that the disease will be completely eradicated.

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India aims to tighten quality of drugs

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date August 4, 2023

In a move to improve quality of drugs manufactured in India and mend its image as the pharmacy of the world, the Central Government has decided to implement Schedule M to tighten the manufacturing practices of pharmaceutical companies in India.

The Good Manufacturing Practice System was first incorporated in 1988 in Schedule M of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1945. New GMP Standard in Schedule M was made in 2001 and implemented in 2005.

Schedule M prescribes requirements to facilities for maintenance, manufacturing, control and safety testing, storage and transport material, written procedures and records, traceability etc.

Issues according to the ministry, which inspected over 160 units and 14 public testing labs range from poor documentation, absence of testing incoming raw material, quality failure investigation, professionally qualified employees amongst others.

Companies have been given six to 12 months to adhere to requirements starting August 1. Companies with a turnover of over Rs 250 crore will be given six months and those with a turnover of below Rs 250 crore 1 year to comply to standards. The certification will be valid for 3 years.

While this step is expected to be positive especially at a time when Indian companies have been in the dock due to recent global incidents of substandard drugs, there are some concerns point out experts.

For example, one of big concerns is that currently the pharma companies come under the purview of state regulators. Hence the power to issue or cancel licenses is with state governments. The concern then is that the central government does not have the power to implement the compliance standards.

Also, while Schedule M became mandatory in the law in 2005 companies have struggled to implement it for the last 18 years. Many of the smaller companies for example might need to upgrade their existing facilities to comply with the standards, to do so they will require capital and infrastructure, which they might lack. An example of this is quality control labs, which were made compulsory in 2005 but companies did not comply due to inability to afford setting up the units.

Lastly, the timelines of 6 months to 1 year might not be feasible for the large number companies to adhere to the standards. India currently has around 10,500 drug manufacturers including MSMEs but only 2,000 companies mainly exporters are expected to have a good manufacturing certificate. That means 8,000 companies needing to comply to standards set out in Schedule M in just the span of a year might be a tall task.

Kombucha consumption might lower blood sugar levels in individuals living with type-2 diabetes: Study

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date August 3, 2023

Drinking kombucha for four weeks may lower fasting blood glucose levels in people with type II diabetes, according to recent research at Georgetown University.

According to the findings of a clinical trial conducted by researchers at Georgetown University’s School of Health, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and MedStar Health, people with type II diabetes who drank the fermented tea drink kombucha for four weeks had lower fasting blood glucose levels than those who drank a similar-tasting placebo beverage. This conclusion from a pilot 12-person feasibility trial suggests the possibility of a nutritional intervention that could help lower blood sugar levels in persons with diabetes, as well as laying the groundwork for a bigger trial to validate and expand on these findings.

This finding was reported in Frontiers in Nutrition. Kombucha is a tea fermented with bacteria and yeasts and was consumed as early as 200 B.C. in China, but it did not become popular in the U.S. until the 1990s. Its popularity has been bolstered by anecdotal claims of improved immunity and energy and reductions in food cravings and inflammation, but proof of these benefits has been limited.

“Some laboratory and rodent studies of kombucha have shown promise and one small study in people without diabetes showed kombucha lowered blood sugar, but to our knowledge this is the first clinical trial examining effects of kombucha in people with diabetes,” says study author Dan Merenstein, M.D., professor of Human Sciences in Georgetown’s School of Health and professor of family medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine. “A lot more research needs to be done but this is very promising.”

Merenstein continued, “A strength of our trial was that we didn’t tell people what to eat because we used a crossover design that limited the effects of any variability in a person’s diet.” The crossover design had one group of people drinking about eight ounces of kombucha or placebo beverage daily for four weeks and then after a two-month period to ‘wash out’ the biological effects of the beverages, the kombucha and placebo were swapped between groups with another four weeks of drinking the beverages. Neither group was told which drink they were receiving at the time.

Kombucha appeared to lower average fasting blood glucose levels after four weeks from 164 to 116 milligrams per deciliter while the difference after four weeks with the placebo was not statistically significant. Guidelines from the American Diabetes Association recommended blood sugar levels before meals should be between 70 to 130 milligrams per deciliter.

The researchers also looked at the makeup of fermenting micro-organisms in kombucha to determine which ingredients might be the most active. They found that the beverage was mainly comprised of lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid bacteria, and a form of yeast called Dekkera, with each microbe present in about equal measure; the finding was confirmed with RNA gene sequencing. The kombucha used in this study was produced by Craft Kombucha, a commercial manufacturer in the Washington, DC, area. It has been re-branded as Brindle Boxer Kombucha.

“Different studies of different brands of kombucha by different manufacturers reveal slightly different microbial mixtures and abundances,” says Robert Hutkins, Ph.D., University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the study’s senior author. “However, the major bacteria and yeasts are highly reproducible and likely to be functionally similar between brands and batches, which was reassuring for our trial.”

“An estimated 96 million Americans have pre-diabetes — and diabetes itself is the eighth leading cause of death in the U.S. as well as being a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke and kidney failure,” says Chagai Mendelson, M.D., lead author who was working in Merenstein’s lab at Georgetown while completing his residency at MedStar Health. “We were able to provide preliminary evidence that a common drink could have an effect on diabetes. We hope that a much larger trial, using the lessons we learned in this trial, could be undertaken to give a more definitive answer to the effectiveness of kombucha in reducing blood glucose levels, and hence prevent or help treat type-II diabetes.”

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