Wine lovers, there's good news for you. If the findings of a latest study are to be believed, people who drink red wine have increased gut microbiota diversity as well as lower levels of obesity and bad cholesterol. The study was published in the journal Gastroenterology.
"Moderate red wine consumption is associated with greater diversity and healthier gut microbiota that partly explain its long-debated beneficial effects on health," said Caroline Le Roy from King's College London. Gut microbiome has a very strong impact on your overall health. An imbalance of 'good' microbes compared to 'bad' ones in the gut could lead to adverse health outcomes such as reduced immune system, weight gain or high cholesterol.
A person's gut microbiome with a higher number of different bacterial species is considered a marker of gut health. For the study, researchers explored the effect of beer, cider, red wine, white wine and spirits on the gut microbiome and subsequent health in a group of 916 UK female twins.
It was revealed that gut microbiome of red wine drinkers was more diverse compared to non-red wine drinkers. This was not observed with white wine, beer or spirits consumption.
The gut microbiota of red wine consumers contained a greater number of different bacterial species compared to non-consumers, the study revealed. Red wine contains many polyphenols, which could be one of the reasons why it could be marginally better for your gut health, the team said.
Polyphenols are defence chemicals naturally present in many fruits and vegetables. They have many beneficial properties (including antioxidants) and mainly act as a fuel for the microbes present in our system. The result was also observed in three different cohorts in the US, UK and the Netherlands.
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