Fermented beverages support immune, gut, and digestive health

Internet personality Brittany Broski has risen to ultimate influencer fame. She’s even met her idol, Harry Styles, because of it. Broski rose to internet fame after a video of her trying kombucha went viral on TikTok in 2019, and she became known as the “Kombucha Girl.” In the video, Broski notes how the beverage smells and makes numerous funny facial expressions, which were made into memes across social media platforms.

Erin Costello, communications and events associate for Niles, Ill.-based Imbibe, says that kombucha’s taste profile “can be polarizing,” and referenced Broski’s famous video. But, Costello adds, “Kombucha Girl” was not the first time kombucha was trending on social media.

“Gut health has been a major concern for consumers and really took off in the past couple of years as the benefits of a healthy microbiome were popping up all over social media,” she explains. “Views for videos containing #guttok on TikTok nearly doubled in 2022, reaching almost 770 million as of January 2023. Many creators in this space centered their content around kombucha, as it’s highly attributed to being a remedy for this need state and boasts a long list of nutrients, including probiotics, enzymes and multiple B vitamins.”

Costello says that a decreased amount of bloating is one of the biggest factors resonating with consumers in regard to maintaining a healthy gut, as both gut health and weight loss were ranked in the Top 3 health concerns of 2022, according to the International Food Information Council Report.

“This goes hand-in-hand with the interest in and proliferation of better-for-you sodas, that generally contain a lower sugar and calorie content than their traditional counterparts,” she adds. “Many of the [carbonated soft drinks] (CSDs) in this space are centered on having gut-healing ingredients, like Poppi and Olipop … We have also seen line extensions from already established market players, including the new flavor Orange Splash from Remedy Drinks and Mortal Kombucha’s Basillion Strawberries.”

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