LiLo SCRAM warning over Kombucha Tea

We recently reported that LiLo (AKA Lindsay Lohan) was ordered in May to wear an alcohol monitoring ” SCRAM” bracelet by a court in Los Angeles. Lohan’s alcohol ankle monitor reportedly went off in June after her appearance at the MTV Movie Awards and attendance at at least one after party. Lohan vehemently denied that she had been drinking alcohol: “My SCRAM wasn’t set off. It’s physically impossible considering I’ve done nothing for it to go off. All of these false reports are absolutely wrong. I’m not misguided and the tabloids and press are liars.”

Later her lawyer released a statement saying that the monitor had detected the “presence of a small amount of alcohol.”

It’s well known that Lindsay is a devotee of a tea called Kombucha tea, which we also recently blogged about. Many celebrities are now drinking the modern version of this ancient elixir because of purported health benefits that include: speeding up metabolism, cleansing “toxins” from the bloodstream, reducing cholesterol levels, fighting wrinkles, and boosting the immune system. This fermented form of sweetened black tea is also said to be useful in kicking addictions to alcohol and coffee.

The label on the bottle of Kombucha tea, which is marketed by synergydrinks.com says that the tea contains less than 0.5% alcohol, which is a very small amount, but there have been questions about how accurate that measurement is. Whole Foods reportedly pulled Kombucha tea off their shelves when it questioned the accuracy of the alcohol content.

The guy behind Kombucha, GT Dave, admitted to TMZ that there are concerns over alcohol levels in the drink: “Although we are not familiar with the technology or sensitivity of SCRAM bracelets, we think it would be highly unlikely that our products would trigger an alarm.”

I guess the big question is, how much Kombucha is Lindsay drinking? According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC), drinking this tea in quantities typically consumed (approximately 4 oz daily) may not cause adverse effects in healthy persons; however, the potential health risks are unknown for those with preexisting health problems or those who drink excessive quantities of the tea.

For more information: