14 DAY TRIAL // Earlier this week, a judge ordered Lindsay Lohan to wear an alcohol-monitoring bracelet and subject herself to random drug testing after she reportedly violated her parole from a prior drunk-driving case. The same day after she heard the changes she had to make in her life, Lindsay dyed her hair back to blonde, started wearing long pants and became an unofficial endorser of Kombucha tea, as TMZ can confirm.
This is a beverage made of fermented tea and a solid mass of yeast and bacteria, which reportedly has numerous health benefits, none of which have been, so far supported by solid, irrefutable facts. For instance, Kombucha reportedly improves digestion by helping the organism detoxify, while also boosting kidney function. It also makes one feel more energized, though a bit euphoric too, as per some reports. As of late, another health claim that has been attached to Kombucha tea is that it can help kick addiction, which is why Lindsay must be drinking it, TMZ believes.
“Lindsay was pounding Kombucha – a fermented tea that claims several health benefits – while she got her hair did yesterday at Andy Lecompte Salon in WeHo. And this is interesting... due to the fermentation, the tea contains a trace amount of alcohol – less than 0.5%. […] TMZ just spoke to the guy behind Kombucha tea, GT Dave, who claims the product can help people kick habits of alcohol, coffee and junk food by ‘restoring healthy balance to the body.’ So there,” TMZ writes of Lindsay’s new beverage of choice.
Brent A. Bauer, M.D. of the prestigious Mayo Clinic, though, is not as convinced of Kombucha’s various health claims for they have not been supported by actual fact yet. “As with any dietary supplement, it’s critical to do your homework before considering using Kombucha tea. First, determine the level of evidence supporting the health claims. In this case, Kombucha tea’s benefits are based on personal reports, and lab and animal studies. To date, there hasn’t been a single human trial reported in a major medical journal. This doesn’t mean that Kombucha tea can’t possibly have health benefits; it just means that at this time there’s no direct evidence that it provides the benefits it’s reported to have,” he explains.
Moreover, Kombucha tea can have some pretty unpleasant side effects, like the abovementioned light-headedness, an upset stomach and diarrhea, together with allergic reactions in case something goes bad during the process of fermenting the tea. On the other hand, it could be that Lindsay is endorsing a certain company – which would mean she’s only fulfilling her end of the deal and not necessarily that she believes Kombucha can work wonders on her (alleged) alcohol problem.