Let me guess… you’ve seen a headline that says “Red wine is good for you!” 

So far, researchers have found many positive connections between gut health and some ingredients in wine. Yay! (How many have stopped reading, after finding all the confirmation they need?) 

It has to be said, that overall, alcohol is not a health-promoting substance and should be limited, if not completely avoided. However, as alcohol consumption plays a role in most cultures in some way, often in celebrations or rituals, we will move forward in this exploration of data with a perspective of truth-seeking and balance. 

First, I want to point out that red wine is studied more, and is considered to have more health benefits than white wine. This is generally because the skin of the grape is included in the fermentation process in red wine. I’m no food scientist, but I illustrate the difference by comparing it to white bread versus whole wheat bread: Similar products, similar benefits and outcomes, but one with a slightly higher nutrition profile because of the food components being left in versus removed.

Back to wine! Polyphenols are the main component of wine that is studied, and there are many more polyphenols in red wine than white. Way more. Polyphenols (paw-lee-fee-nawls) are a family of micronutrients found in plants, and are thought to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Tannins are the most abundant polyphenol in wine, which cannot be absorbed by the body, but this is where our microbes come in! Even if we cannot break down and absorb a material, it’s likely that it is feeding our bacteria, or having some sort of effect on them. As our microbes break down the polyphenols, chemical byproducts are released that signal other areas of the body. 

Polyphenols like tannins and resveratrol have been long recognized as beneficial to humans, but only recently has it been discovered that it’s their interaction with our gut microbes that makes it all work! Tannins may slow down the digestive process allowing for better blood glucose management. Resveratrol has been shown to protect against Altzhiemer’s and obesity, and reduce cholesterol. Wine in general has also been shown to help reduce populations of certain pathogens like E. coli, Salmonella, Shigella, and H. pylori. These pathogens (or dangerous microbes) can cause serious illness when allowed to overpopulate the gut.

If you’re of age, and reaching for an adult beverage already, a glass of red will be your best bet. However, these benefits can be enjoyed by eating a wide variety of plants, especially in an array of colors and types. I hope this doesn’t need to be said, but please don’t lean on wine for microbiome support…

TLDR: Polyphenols in wine have many beneficial attributes!

Sources and other helpful info:

Chaplin, A., Carpéné, C., & Mercader, J. (2018). Resveratrol, Metabolic Syndrome, and Gut Microbiota. Nutrients, 10(11), 1651. 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6266067/pdf/nutrients-10-01651.pdf 

Cordova, A. C., & Sumpio, B. E. (2009). Polyphenols are medicine: Is it time to prescribe red wine for our patients?. The International journal of angiology : official publication of the International College of Angiology, Inc, 18(3), 111–117.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2903024/ 

Cory, H., Passarelli, S., Szeto, J., Tamez, M., & Mattei, J. (2018). The Role of polyphenols in human health and food systems: A mini-review. Frontiers in nutrition, 5, 87. 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6160559/pdf/fnut-05-00087.pdf 

Fan, X., Peters, B.A., Jacobs, E.J. et al. (2018, April 24). Drinking alcohol is associated with variation in the human oral microbiome in a large study of American adults. Microbiome 6, 59. https://microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s40168-018-0448-x.pdf 

Liu, D., Chen, Q., Zhang, P., Chen, D., Howell, K. S. (2020, August). The fungal microbiome is an important component of vineyard ecosystems and correlates with regional distinctiveness of wine. mSphere, 5 (4).
https://msphere.asm.org/content/msph/5/4/e00534-20.full.pdf

Moreno-Indias, I., Sánchez-Alcoholado, L., Pérez-Martínez, P., Andrés-Lacueva, C., Cardona, F., Tinahones, F., & Queipo-Ortuño, M. I. (2016). Red wine polyphenols modulate fecal microbiota and reduce markers of the metabolic syndrome in obese patients. Food & function, 7(4), 1775–1787. 
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26599039/ 

Nash, V., Ranadheera, C. S., Georgousopoulou, E. N., Mellor, D. D., Panagiotakos, D. B., McKune, A. J., Kellett, J., & Naumovski, N. (2018). The effects of grape and red wine polyphenols on gut microbiota - A systematic review. Food research international (Ottawa, Ont.), 113, 277–287.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30195522/