 Bacteria may sound bad for the  intestinal tract, but having a balanced mix of them actually helps to digest food, regulate immune function, and produce vitamin K (which plays a key role in helping the blood clot).
The study results showed that the red Merlot and low-alcohol red wine had similar positive effects on intestinal bacteria. Thus the researchers suspect that it is not due to the alcohol but to the polyphenol compounds found in wine.
Polyphenols are helpful plant-based compounds found in a variety of foods and beverages. Besides red grapes, many other fruits and vegetables are rich sources of polyphenols, as are coffee, tea, chocolate, and some nuts.
Previous research has looked at whether polyphenols in the diet can influence the balance of intestinal bacteria. This study sought to explore whether drinking red wine can have a similar prebiotic effect. Prebiotics are non-digestible food ingredients that stimulate the growth and/or activity of bacteria in the digestive system in ways claimed to be beneficial to health.
Red, Red Wine
In this small study, which appears in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers followed 10 healthy middle-aged men. For the first 15 days of the study, the men had no wine or other alcohol. This was followed by three 20-day periods in which the men were given one of three beverages to drink each day: They received either 9 ounces (about 250 gms. or two small glasses) of Merlot, 9 ounces of low-alcohol-content red wine, or about 3 ounces of gin.
Unlike Merlot and the other red wines, gin contains no polyphenols, so it served as a comparison.
Throughout the study, volunteers were asked not to change their diets or exercise habits. They were also told not to drink any additional alcohol. Blood, urine, and stool samples were collected from each man during all four study periods. And their weights and blood pressures were monitored.
The findings showed that the balance of intestinal bacteria shifted in the men in a similar way whether they drank the Merlot or low-alcohol red wine. In both cases, they had a larger percent of certain beneficial gut bacteria.
After drinking the polyphenol-rich beverages, the men also had lower blood pressure. It also decreased triglyceride levels, HDL cholesterol (the so-called good cholesterol), and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, a measure of inflammation.
"This study was the first to show that regular, moderate consumption of red wine could have a noteworthy effect on the growth of select gut microbiota," the researchers conclude according to the report in WebMD.
The study may have shown positive effects but the size of population under study is too small. It might have been nicer for the report to indicate who financed the study-to assess the competence and relevance of the study. DelWine continues to recommend 2 regular glasses (125mL) of any wine, preferably with a red wine with 12.5% alcohol by volume. If you like a wine with higher percentage, you should reduce the amount taken accordingly-editor |