You've probably heard that red wine can be a very healthy drink option,
but you most likely only heard about generic benefits of the
antioxidants and resveratrol in red wine.
But here's another
MAJOR reason below why red wine in moderation (1-2 glasses per day max)
can be a super healthy part of your routine. I personally have really
grown to enjoy having a glass of red wine with dinner about 4-5 days per
week.
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 red wine per day (dry red wine, not sugary dessert wines) had
higher levels of beneficial bacteria in their gut and lower levels of
pathogenic bad bacteria in their gut. This is great news as you know
from reading this newsletter how vastly important your gut flora balance
is to everything from your digestion, immunity, metabolism, skin
health, and much more.
The study concluded that while red wine
consumption decreased pathogenic bacteria in the gut, it actually had a
prebiotic effect in the gut in that it supported the growth and colonies
of healthy gut microbes which protect your health.
But the powerful health benefits of red wine don't stop there...
Another
exciting part of this study is that the red wine drinkers also
decreased systolic and diastolic blood pressure, triglycerides, LDL
cholesterol, and CRP (C-reactive protein). CRP is a measure of overall
inflammation in your body, so it's great to see an association between
red wine and reduced inflammation.
The interesting part of the
study is that red wine was compared against equivalent servings of gin
(equivalent alcohol serving) and none of the benefits mentioned above
were seen in the group consuming the gin. This means the benefits were
probably related to the polyphenols and resveratrol in red wine and not
necessarily the alcohol content itself, although there is likely a
synergistic effect of the alcohol and other compounds in red wine as the
group receiving de-alcoholized red wine got less of a blood pressure
benefit.
You can choose Cabernet, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Shiraz or
any other dry red wine to get all of these powerful health benefits of
the unique polyphenols and resveratrol.
Note that white wine also has some health benefits but not nearly as powerful as red wine due to the lower antioxidant levels.
Another
benefit of red wine not mentioned in the study above is that I've seen
studies that show that red wine consumed with a meal can slow and
moderate the blood sugar response you get from that meal. This is yet
another benefit to keeping your hormones balanced, controlling insulin
levels, controlling appetite, and staying lean!
As you can see, there's plenty of reasons raise a glass of red wine at your meals and toast to your health and happiness!
But beware...
As
good as red wine is for your health and gut microbes, there are plenty
of things that can DESTROY your beneficial gut flora...
Antibiotics
(over-prescribed, often unnecessarily) are one thing that can destroy
your gut flora balance and have huge ramifications for your health. In
addition, too much sugar in your diet can increase the growth of bad
bacteria, and using the artificial sweetener sucralose can KILL-off
portions of your beneficial bacteria, destroying your health in the
process.
My colleague Brett Hall also shares with you in the video below other dangers that can destroy your gut health...
The WORST thing that destroys your healthy gut microbes (plus 4 secrets to rid yourself of harmful gut bugs)
PS
-- if you liked today's article about red wine, please fwd this email
on to any of your friends, family, or co-workers that also enjoy a good
glass of red wine.
Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer