I may receive a commission if you purchase through links in this post. I am not a doctor; please consult your practitioner before changing your supplement or healthcare regimen.
In this article, Kombucha Dangers & Side Effects: BAD for Your Teeth & Liver, we look at the most important cautions when it comes to consuming kombucha: One, it causes major dental issues, and two, kombucha is a waste product from yeast and bacteria that is, in part, alcohol and acetaldehyde (something we’ll talk about more). It’s not good for the liver … and worse.
This article shares testimonies of real people who have unknowingly ruined their teeth from kombucha.
While many Americans now drink full 16 oz bottles of kombucha, sipping on the go, we’ll look at why this just isn’t healthy.
It also discusses little known facts about the components of kombucha that make it dangerous physiologically.
Once you know, you can avoid drinking something for health purposes that may be injuring you instead.
Kombucha Dangers & Side Effects: What is tooth enamel
Basic to what we’re talking about here, let’s quickly define tooth enamel:
- the hardest tissue in our bodies
- remineralized naturally by our saliva (in fact, even toothpaste doesn’t do as good of a job!)
- outer protective layer of our teeth
- weakened tooth enamel increases the risk of discoloration
- bleaching products further weaken the integrity of one’s teeth (learn how to correct this here)
As one study shares, “Dental erosion is the irreversible acidic dissolution of surface tooth structure by chemical means in the absence of microorganisms.”
Why is kombucha bad for your teeth
While many people believe it’s sugar that causes tooth decay, they are wrong. It’s actually acid.
(Fun fact: Drinks with high acid levels are worse for your teeth than sugar. As a result, diet sodas are worse for your teeth than the regular sodas because they contain more acids. Perhaps you’ve heard it said that the preservative citric acid isn’t healthy. This is one reason why.)
Beverages with high acid content attack enamel.
Carbonated beverages, such as soda, seltzer, spritzers — and kombucha — are highly acidic.
Kombucha is more acidic than many drinks. That’s because the fermentation process increases acidity.
How does kombucha rank amidst other drinks’ pH
Kombucha tea’s pH level is about 3.0.
Straight lime juice has a pH of 2.1, spring water, 7.4!
Coke and Pepsi: 2.3 (Just five minutes of this drink on one’s teeth shows deep etching into enamel. And we wonder why Americans have such severe dental problems.)
Sports drinks, like Gatorade (3), carbonated water (3), fruit juices (4) and coffee (5) are all erosive.
Testimonies of major tooth damage due to kombucha
You may think I’m exaggerating with this article. But a little warning goes a long way for prevention.
If you look around on the internet, you’ll see testimonies like these:
- “My dentist expressed kombucha may be harming my teeth. Making them more sensitive and more cavities. Has this happened to anyone else? I don’t want to give up kombucha.” (source, emphasis mine)
- Written in 2022: “I started brewing in 2020, drink about 12 oz every day or two, and just got my first cavity ever. I’m 45 years old.” (source, emphasis mine)
- “I thought I was the only one. I stopped drinking it cause it was rotting my teeth! I thought I was crazy!” (source, emphasis mine)
- My paraphrase: “Eating a ‘traditional’ (Weston A. Price style diet) destroyed my teeth. I drank kombucha thinking it was good for me, but ended up with multiple extractions and fillings. I felt my teeth melting away after a strong batch, and I knew with that batch it was the kombucha that had done it. Formerly, I never had problems with my teeth, no matter what I ate.”
- Others report never having dental problems until they started drinking kombucha, and needing fillings in all their teeth after drinking kombucha.
- “… a few months ago i had a kombucha phase. I would drink it everyday and spend ALOT of money to buy enough for myself. I started realizing a few weeks later that my front teeth became extremely sensitive to the cold. Did kombucha ruin your teeth? honestly at the moment i dont see any difference on my teeth in the naked eye. I’m really worried especially since Ive already used up all of my moms insurance to get dental filling prior to the recently discovered sensitivity.” (source, emphasis mine)
- “Since I started making my own kombucha, I drink a 16 oz bottle a day. I’ve been noticing increased teeth sensitivity and have a new cavity i am getting filled tomorrow.” (source, emphasis mine)
Ways to reduce kombuchas damage to teeth
If you love drinking kombucha, here are some ways to protect your teeth to some degree:
- Drink kombucha with a meal.
- Sip it through a straw.
- Rinse your mouth with water (or water mixed with baking soda), and use your tongue over the teeth’s surface, after drinking or eating your meal.
What drinks are not acidic for teeth
Only a few beverages have the alkaline pH that won’t damage tooth enamel:
- water — YAY for water! (Avoid carbonated water, though.)
- milk — This choice has its own dangers, so I wouldn’t recommend it in general. (Do avoid fortified milks that have added vitamins if you choose to drink milk.)
- green tea
- freshly pressed peeled cucumber juice
- almond milk
How much kombucha is healthy to drink: acid, alcohol and acetaldehyde
Kombucha is the waste product from yeast and bacteria breaking down tea and white sugar. What results is alcohol, acetaldehyde and acetic acid:
- Alcohol is viewed by the liver as poison.
- Acetaldehyde is highly toxic and a known carcinogen, plus it slows down the detox process. Acetaldehyde is best known as the chemical that causes hangovers, and it’s the most abundant carcinogen in tobacco smoke.
- And acetic acid is the acid produced during fermentation that’s bad for our teeth.
While many people realize that kombucha contains a small amount of alcohol, most do not realize the dangers of acetaldehyde or acetic acid.
Some brewers like to ferment their kombucha longer, thinking the sugar is the thing to reduce. What they don’t realize is they’re increasing the damaging acetaldehyde and acetic acid.
It’s time to re-think kombucha.
How just a little alcohol does damage
Yes, kombucha has probiotics (so we think it’s healthy). And a small amount of alcohol can be detoxed by the liver if the liver isn’t already overrun by toxins.
But what most people don’t know is that 40% or more (likely MUCH more) of Americans have very sick, backed up livers (ill-functioning bile ducts).
Adding any more alcohol at all isn’t ideal.
Why to avoid all alcohol
(Note: Women are about twice as sensitive to alcohol and acetaldehyde as men, also more likely to get diseases from alcohol.)
The liver does prioritize detoxing alcohol over other poisons, but that prevents other toxins from being detoxed in its place. This detox pathway is one busy route; adding more toxins isn’t ideal, especially in our modern world, which is full of chemicals, pesticides and even “vitamins” that the liver needs to detox.
If you want to drink kombucha for its probiotics, just a couple sips is enough to get that benefit.
Symptoms to avoid kombucha
Anyone who experiences facial flushing, nausea or a rapid heart rate from kombucha should surely avoid it altogether.
Cancer risks with kombucha: acetaldehyde
Acetaldehyde has been linked to mouth, throat, upper respiratory tract, liver, colon and breast cancers.
Even some moderate drinkers have a greater risk of developing cancer because their bodies produce more acetaldehyde when they do drink.
Other risks of acetaldehyde
Acetaldehyde causes a Vitamin B1 deficiency and depletes zinc. It is known and has been well studied to cause damage to the heart, liver, musculoskeletal system as well as gastrointestinal damage (leaky gut), mitochondrial fragmentation and DNA damage.
Acetaldehyde intake (which slows detox) has now even been linked to oxalate sensitivity (the inability to break down oxalates) — a huge breakthrough in understanding the path to recovery.
Anyone who drinks kombucha regularly should reconsider the risks of consuming acetaldehyde.
Kombucha Dangers & Side Effects: BAD for Your Teeth & Liver — Conclusions
For those who drink kombucha because it tastes good, it would be better to choose a new beverage for sipping that isn’t acidic on the teeth or alcoholic.
Or, be sure to swish or brush soon after consuming; avoid sipping on its own.
Perhaps even more importantly, it’s arguable that none of us should be taking in more acetaldehyde.
If you drink kombucha for its probiotic content, there are still “no studies of the effects of kombucha on gastrointestinal health and microbiota in humans.”
In conclusion, kombucha combines caffeine, sugar, alcohol, acetaldehyde, acetic acid and carbonation. This is no health drink!
Let’s get our probiotics elsewhere.
You can Pin Kombucha Dangers & Side Effects: BAD for Your Teeth & Liver here:
Other similar articles
- 7 Best Toothpaste Alternatives
- Safest Non-Toxic Tea Kettles for 2024
- Why Fish Oil is Bad for You
- How I Got Rid of My Daughter’s Cavities in 4 Months
- Why Copper is Estrogenic and how to avoid it (with copper foods list)
- Which Water Filter is Best
- Why I Switched from Cast Iron and Which Pans are Safe Instead
Darcy says
Never brush right after having kombucha or anything else acidic as it will cause even further damage. Just swish with water. Always wait 30 minutes to brush after having kombucha, sodas, citrus, etc.
Megan says
Thanks, Darcy, I have seen this written in several places as well, but I could not find a source for it. Do you have a source for not brushing after swishing even, for waiting the 30 minutes after swishing? Thank you!
Sarabeth Matilsky says
Hi Megan,
Thanks for this article. I have felt intuitively that kombucha and other sweetened (even when fermented) drinks are not a great idea – but you clearly explain why. I very occasionally and seasonally like to make a batch or two of “sparkling cider” using water kefir grains, although inevitably one or more of my children find it negatively affects them and then I put the grains away for another several months or a year! I am curious whether water kefir to your knowledge has similar problems?
Warmly,
Sarabeth
Megan says
Hi Sarabeth, good questions. Yes, water kefir also contains acetaldehyde, sugars, alcohols (ethanol, hexanol, and glycerol), acids (bad for the teeth) and esters. The chemical composition of each water kefir batch varies depending on several factors (the grains, the sugar used etc). I think we need to ask ourselves why we drink fermented beverages. If it’s for the probiotics, we need to investigate which probiotics are present in that particular beverage. If we get benefits from them, then we could experiment with the probiotic in non-food form (as a supplement) to see if we get the same benefit, therefore avoiding the sugar and bi-products of fermentation. If we don’t get the same benefit, then taking in a small amount of that ferment (like 2 tablespoons) could be a solution, short term. Or, if we drink fermented beverages because we enjoy the taste, the way they make us feel, or because we like fermenting, I think we are wise to transition to alternatives, especially those of us who are truly trying to get as healthy as possible, including liver health. Water kefir is also an anti-oxidant drink, and as you probably already know, Dr. Smith has theories about the fact that anti-oxidants are actually just pushing toxins into our livers, protecting us from toxins, but not detoxing them. So, not a great thing to take in for those trying to detox the liver. He would also say that if we need probiotics orally, our biome is not in the best state and needs base repair from cholestasis and toxic bile, for long term health. Blessings!
Megan says
One more thing, an idea I just read about in LYL: One person rinses her kefir grains and eats those straight for probiotics. They get fed the same way, and then rinsed well, and she gets her probiotics without the sugar or other unwanted products of fermentation. A really cool idea and solution! This can be done with both water and milk kefir grains.
michael says
What about water and milk kefir
Megan says
Hi Michael, unfortunately, milk kefir also contains acetaldehyde, acids and alcohol. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7071183/ In response to Sarabeth, here in this Comment thread, you can see my longer response about water kefir, but yes, it, too, contains these undesirable products.
Dorothy says
It’s ironic that a drink that’s promoted as a health drink could be so unhealthy. I was disappointed that my attempt at brewing it failed, but now I’m thankful it did!
Megan says
Yes, glad for you, Dorothy, funny but true!! 😉
Michele says
Thank you so much for this information. I have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and had been drinking kombucha daily for months upon months. I will be cutting it out entirely.
Overall, I am reading more and more of your posts. I find them to be very enlightening. I never followed a GAPS diet but I read your post about why you don’t follow it anymore. I have been so confused as to how I should eat. My holistic doctor originally told me I should be Keto, which is high fat. I wondered internally how I am supposed to get rid of fatty liver if eat high fat. I also know low fat is probably not the way to go either. At one time I was told to eat breakfast every day. Now I am told to only eat in an 6 to 8 hour window. Although I know you are not a doctor and not issuing medical advice, your insights make sense to me. Thank you!
Megan says
Hi Michele, great to hear from you. I’m glad you’re making such good choices and changes. Yes, my doctor believes that Keto just stores toxins and problems for later. It can be confusing. The best guide is actually Dr. Smith (his specialty is liver health and recovery). One wonderful thing is how all of his YouTube videos are free; he’s a wealth of information, and all the confusion goes away. So I’d recommend typing areas of interest into his YT search window to address topics you want to, and also the low vitamin A diet for overall recovery and wellness (in any/every area). Here’s his YT link: https://www.youtube.com/@NutritionDetective That should be a great start.
Michele says
THANK YOU!!! I will check out Dr. Smith on YouTube.
Megan says
You’re welcome, sounds great!!