Investigating the Impacts of Kombucha Consumption on Metabolic and Mental Health In a Murine Model: The Microbiome Nexus

Abstract

Kombucha, a popular fermented tea beverage with touted health benefits due to its metabolic and probiotic profile, is largely understudied in the extent of its potential health promotion. To this end, we designed an experiment using murine models to investigate the metabolic and mental health impacts of kombucha consumption. We administered treatment to four different experimental groups of twelve mice each over seven weeks, using a Total Western Diet of high-fat high-sugar HFS content and standard (STD) diet. DNA was extracted from fecal samples collected at the end of the project and sent to be sequenced using 16S rRNA methods. Tests for anxiety and depression were performed as well, and data was analyzed to make conclusions about the extent to which kombucha consumption alleviated mental health outcomes of a HFS diet. Overall, results indicated that kombucha consumption has significant positive metabolic health effects; behavioral implications are less conclusive but leave room for future directions of research. DNA sequencing and analysis of gut microbiome profiles are also further areas of research discussed.