Your Gut Bacteria Love Wine

By Stacy Gaucys

What?

It does! I know what you are probably thinking. All we hear about (in America) is how bad alcohol is for your health. We might have heard that red wine is good for your heart, but these statements are usually followed by an article telling you to drink less or don't drink at all. It seems like we are confused what is actually good for our bodies and what is bad for it.

I've traveled to many countries, especially in Europe, and have not yet experienced a country that had the same taboos over drinking wine like we have in America. Wine is an art form that is meant to be celebrated. Drinking wine is part of many cultures, not only for pleasure, but for business lunches and just ordinary every day dinners at home with family. The Mediterranean diet is touted for its health benefits and a staple component of this diet is wine. What is more, all Blue Zone centenarians (people who live past 100 years of age in several places around the world) ALL drink wine with friends on a regular basis. Every single zone!

https://www.bluezones.com/2017/08/longevity-link-how-and-why-wine-helps-you-live-longer/

Putting the psych behind drinking aside, let's get into the actual benefits of having drinks with friends.

1. Wine contains a plant product called polyphenol that feeds the good bacteria in your gut. The more good gut bacteria you have, the better you can digest food and obtain vital nutrients needed for your health. If you promote the growth of beneficial bacteria, you also fight against the proliferation of bad bacteria that harm your gut and cause inflammation.

2. Resveratrol is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. It is a natural component specifically present in wine and has been identified as being the component mainly responsible for associated with lower risk and mortality from cardiovascular disease and the prevention of certain types of cancer. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19445315/

3. Wine also contains lactic acid bacteria that have similar probiotic benefits as fermented foods like kimchi and miso, and unique wine probiotics that decrease gut inflammation in mice. Anthocyanins in red wine are prebiotics that support a balanced gut biome by helping good gut bacteria take over bad gut bacteria.

4. A new study by King's College has found that people who drink red wine had an increased gut microbiota diversity (a sign of gut health) compared to non-red wine drinkers as well as an association with lower levels of obesity and 'bad' cholesterol. The more kinds of good bacteria you have in your gut, the greater your ability to digest and extract essential nutrients you have. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/08/190828194219.htm

5. Wine increases dopamine, the feel good chemical, in your brain much like eating sweets, sugar, and carbohydrates do. Sugar and simple carbs are bad for your good gut bacteria because it feeds pathogens, bad gut bacteria, harmful yeasts, and parasites that disrupt the balance of good vs bad microbes in the gut. Wine, especially dry wines, contain very little sugar/carbohydrates due to the yeast consuming much of the grape fructose for food in the wine making process. In my experience as a nutrition coach, the clients who do not consume any wine or alcohol almost always have an addiction to sugar and sweets, thus making the wine drinkers actually healthier than the non drinkers in terms of better gut health, lower insulin resistance, and lower body fat percentages.

Wine drinkers also have a much easier time switching to my Transform Body Works nutrition based ketogenic diet and eliminating detrimental sugar consumption. Eliminating as much sugar and high carbohydrate foods from your diet is crucial for optimal gut health and preventing diseases. So put all of the guilt aside, call up your favorite person or two, and enjoy a glass or two of really great wine. Laugh and love life, and rest in the knowledge you are benefiting your body in many ways!