Which Is Better for Gut Health? Prebiotic Soda Vs. Kombucha

Check out the wall of cold drinks in the produce aisle these days and you’ll find so many options beyond pressed fruit juices. Two healthy beverages having a moment right now are the fizzy delights kombucha and prebiotic soda, both of which promise to improve your gut health. But if it’s prebiotic soda vs. kombucha, head to head, is one better for your microbiome than the other?

Meet the experts: Lavanya Kethamukkala, R.D.N., C.L.T., L.D.N., a registered dietitian nutritionist and founder of Nourishing Expert in Apex, NC; Rudolph Bedford, M.D., a gastroenterologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA.

Here, a gastroenterologist and dietitian explain the possible benefits you can get from drinking prebiotic soda and kombucha, as well as the downsides to be aware of and if one is superior for improving your gut health.

Prebiotic soda is just what it sounds like: A sweet, fizzy drink that contains added prebiotics. “A prebiotic is a type of nondigestible fiber that feeds beneficial gut bacteria, helping them produce health-promoting compounds called short-chain fatty acids,” explains Lavanya Kethamukkala, R.D.N., C.L.T., L.D.N., a registered dietitian nutritionist and founder of Nourishing Expert in Apex, NC. “Most prebiotic sodas contain inulin, chicory root fiber, agave inulin, or Jerusalem artichoke fiber.”

These fibers travel through the stomach and small intestine undigested until they reach the colon, where they are broken down by gut microbes. Having high levels of the short-chain fatty acids that are produced as a byproduct has been shown to protect against colon cancer and irritable bowel disease, while lower levels are associated with more instances of disease and poorer overall health.

There are two possible drawbacks of prebiotic soda to keep in mind when choosing one. The first, says Rudolph Bedford, M.D., a gastroenterologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, is the sugar content of the drink. If your prebiotic soda contains too much added sugar, it can cancel out the benefits for your microbiome. “There’s also such a thing as overloading with fiber,” Dr. Bedford notes. “Some people do develop gassiness and bloating.” To combat this, Kethamukkala suggests introducing these sips gradually to see how your body responds.

While prebiotic soda contains fibers that feed the bacteria already living in your gut, kombucha effectively adds to the population. “Kombucha is a fermented tea that contains live microorganisms, so you are adding to the bacterial flora,” explains Dr. Bedford. In addition to being a probiotic food, kombucha also delivers antioxidants, polyphenols, and organic acids, thanks to the tea that it is made from.

According to a review published in the journal Fermentation, drinking kombucha may help improve gastrointestinal symptoms like constipation, increase the number of good bacteria living in the gut, and reduce the population of harmful bacteria. Separate research in Food Chemistry Advances also notes that the drink may have antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, and anticarcinogenic properties.

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As is the case with prebiotic soda, Dr. Bedford says that you need to keep an eye on the added sugar in your go-to kombucha, as too much may counteract the possible benefits. Kethamukkala adds that some kombuchas contain caffeine and most also have a tiny amount of alcohol in them, so if you’re pregnant, immunocompromised, or have certain digestive conditions you may need to consult your healthcare provider before drinking kombucha.

When comparing these two sips, you have a prebiotic vs. probiotic, so each offers a different benefit for gut health. “Prebiotic sodas nourish your existing beneficial gut bacteria, while kombucha may provide beneficial microbes through fermentation,” Kethamukkala explains. Still, according to Dr. Bedford, kombucha has a slight edge over prebiotic soda. “It helps you add live bacteria, plus it contains antioxidants from the tea,” he says, adding that there is currently more existing research on the benefits of probiotic foods like kombucha than on prebiotic foods like prebiotic soda.

But if you enjoy one significantly more than the other and you’ve found a brand that’s low in sugar, either one can certainly be part of your gut-healthy diet. “Neither is universally better,” says Kethamukkala. “Rather than relying on either beverage, I encourage building a healthy gut with a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and fermented foods.” This well-rounded approach will help nourish your gut microbiome and improve your overall health.