Here we have another study on gut microbiota, and this time it has to do with red wine! Turns out, people who drink red wine (in moderation) may have a higher diversity of gut microbiota (compared to those who don’t drink red wine), which is a sign of a healthy gut. In case you didn’t know yet, the gut microbiome is the collection of bacteria that live within our gastrointestinal system. Aside from the gut, red wine drinkers in the study were less likely to be obese and they had lower levels of “bad” cholesterol.
The study was quite vast, including an analysis of almost 3,000 drinkers across 3 countries – USA, UK, and the Netherlands. The effects of 4 different kinds of alcoholic beverages on the gut microbiome were observed – beer, cider, and both red and white wines. The researchers found that only red wine had a positive impact resulting in red wine drinkers having a greater number of different bacterial species even when accounting for age, weight, regular diet, and socioeconomic status. The research has been published in the journal Gastroenterology.
Study author Caroline Le Roy said in a statement:
While we have long known of the unexplained benefits of red wine on heart health, this study shows that moderate red wine consumption is associated with greater diversity and healthier gut microbiota that partly explain its long-debated beneficial effects on health.
It’s highly likely that the benefits have to do with an active compound found in red wine known as polyphenols. Found in the skin of grapes, these chemicals have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. The researchers say they may be what help fuel microbes living within our bodies. Polyphenols can also be found in coffee, chocolate, and tea.
Le Roy said:
Although we observed an association between red wine consumption and the gut microbiota diversity, drinking red wine rarely, such as once every two weeks, seems to be enough to observe an effect. If you must choose one alcoholic drink today, red wine is the one to pick as it seems to potentially exert a beneficial effect on you and your gut microbes, which in turn may also help weight and risk of heart disease. However, it is still advised to consume alcohol with moderation.
Research about just how “good” wine may be has been a topic of many studies. It has even been nicknamed the “French Paradox”. Although, in the end, a large-scale study published in 2018 found that there is actually no “safe level” of alcohol to drink. So, bottom line… if you are going to drink, choose red wine because at least its good for you in some way even though alcohol overall is not.
