Red Wine & Your Gut

There are other reasons why red wine in moderation, which is a maximum of two glasses per day, can be beneficial to your health.

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Am J Clin Nutr. 2012;95:1323-1334) reported that people who drank 2 glasses of dry red wine per day, had higher levels of beneficial bacteria and lower levels of pathogenic bacteria in their gut.

We have about two to three pounds of bacteria, totaling about 100 trillion in number, on and inside of our bodies. That is amazing, considering that we only have in total, about 10 trillion cells in our bodies. Our bacteria outnumber our body cells ten to one. Of course, our cells are much larger, or else we would just all be giant colonies of bacteria!

We have a symbiotic relationship with our gut bacteria. They aid in our immunity and they help us to digest our food.

We need a ratio of at least 85% beneficial bacteria to 15% pathogenic bacteria to stay healthy. If the pathogenic bacteria increase to more than 15%, sickness and disease may very well be right around the corner.

Another exciting part of the above mentioned study, is that the red wine drinkers also decreased their blood pressure, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol and C-reactive protein (CRP). CRP is an indication of the overall inflammation in your body.

It isn't the alcohol that is doing this alone, but something that is unique to red wine. We know that because the benefits of red wine were compared to equivalent servings(by alcohol content) of gin. None of those benefits were seen in the group consuming the gin.

It is thought that the benefits were probably related to the polyphenols and resveratrol in red wine and not the alcohol itself, but there appears to be a synergistic effect between the alcohol and the other compounds in the red wine. That conclusion is logical, since a group drinking red wine that had the alcohol removed, had less benefits.

Cabernet, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Shiraz or any other dry red wine had all of these health benefits.

White wine also has some health benefits, but not nearly as much as red wine. White wine doesn't have as many antioxidants as red wine does.

Another benefit of red wine that was not noted in this study, but was found in other studies, is that red wine consumed with a meal can reduce the post meal blood sugar spike. This can result in lower insulin levels, a more controlled appetite and a leaner body.

Just make sure to drink responsibly and don't drink and drive.

Read More