The Study
Changes in gut microbiota composition following water kefir consumption in healthy adults
This study just watched what happened to 40 people's guts after they drank water kefir for two weeks. It didn't compare them to people who didn't drink it, so we can't say the kefir caused any changes — maybe their food, weather, or stress changed their guts instead.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
People drank a homemade fizzy sweet drink made with sugar and tiny microbes for two weeks, and scientists checked if their gut bacteria changed.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 520 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1The changes in bacteria are small and may not mean better health — we don’t know yet if they last or help with digestion or immunity.
- 2After drinking it, good bacteria like Blautia and Roseburia went up by 12-16%, bad bacteria like Firmicutes went down by 6.5%, and most people felt no big changes in their tummy.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Scientific Reports
Year
2026
Authors
Rumathi de Mel, Alia H. Al Khafaji, Saraladevi Muthusamy, Jie Xu, Å. Håkansson
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Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.