Could a glass of red wine improve your gut health?

28th August 2019 – by Paz Garcia

Drinking red wine is linked with an increase in gut bacteria diversity, according to the latest research from TwinsUK.

White wine had a similar although much smaller effect, while researchers found no association between other types of alcohol and gut bacteria variety.

In addition, twins who drank more red wine than their co-twin had more diverse gut bacteria.

Previous research suggests that a more varied community of bacteria in your gut leads to a healthier gut.

First author Dr Caroline Le Roy, from the Department of Twin Research, King’s College London, explained:

“We’ve known for some time that red wine has some health benefits, which likely come from certain molecules called polyphenols.

“Our research shows how red wine is associated with an increase in gut bacteria diversity.

“At this time however we cannot say that drinking red wine directly causes an increase in gut bacteria diversity – we need more research first.”

What did the researchers do?

The team analysed food and drink questionnaire responses and gut bacteria diversity in 916 female TwinsUK participants. The researchers also looked at a number of other factors such as weight and blood cholesterol levels.

The researchers then checked their results by carrying out a similar analysis on participants in two other studies from The Netherlands and the USA.

What did they find?

Participants who reported drinking red wine had greater levels of gut bacteria diversity than non-red wine drinkers.

The team also found that red wine consumption was linked with lower levels of obesity and “bad” cholesterol, which was in part due to associated changes in gut bacteria communities.

What does this mean?

The researchers believe the main reason for the association is due to the many polyphenols in red wine. Polyphenols are defence chemicals naturally present in many fruits and vegetables. They have beneficial properties and mainly act as a fuel for our microbes.

Professor Tim Spector, senior author on the study, explained:

“Although our results are very consistent, they are only associations and do not imply causation.

“We would need to carry out studies where humans or animals were given red wine in order to test whether red wine – or rather the polyphenols it contains – is causing an increase in gut bacteria diversity and limiting weight gain in turn.”

The researchers stressed that it is still advised to drink alcohol in moderation, although they have a recommendation for your tipple of choice:

“If you have to choose one alcoholic drink, then red wine is definitely the one to pick as it may have a positive effect on your gut bacteria and wider health.”

Can bacteria beat the belly fat?

5th July 2019 – by Paz Garcia

Man measuring his waist with a tape measure

Gut bacteria play an important role in the accumulation of fat around the midriff, a new TwinsUK study has found.

This makes gut bacteria a prime target for developing effective weight-management strategies.

Currently, over 12% of the global population is considered obese, up from 5% in 1975. In the UK, nearly 25% of the population is obese. Existing weight loss strategies however that focus on diet or exercise have not been very effective.

TwinsUK researcher Dr Caroline Le Roy explained:

“We know that fat that sits around the organs in the abdomen is harmful and can lead to heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes. Our research shows that gut bacteria play a key role in fat accumulation. We hope our findings will lead to more effective weight-loss strategies.”

The work was published today in Scientific Reports .

What did they do?

The gut is home to trillions of bacteria which help us to digest our food.

The team wanted to find out the role of gut bacteria in the accumulation of visceral fat – which surrounds the organs in the abdomen – and how it relates to diet.

The researchers analysed stool samples and diet questionnaires from over 1,700 TwinsUK participants.

What did they find?

They found that certain diet nutrients and gut bacteria affect the accumulation of visceral fat in different ways.

The team identified 93 groups of bacteria linked to visceral fat levels. Of these, 85 groups were linked with lower fat levels and 8 with higher fat levels.

Nutrients such as protein and cholesterol were associated with greater visceral fat. Other nutrients, including fibre, magnesium and vitamin E however were linked with lower visceral fat.

Further analysis found that the effect of fibre, magnesium and vitamin E on fat might be partly mediated by gut bacteria.

Intriguingly, the role of certain nutrients on visceral fat depended on the presence of gut bacteria, but in contrast, specific gut microbes appeared to affect fat accumulation regardless of dietary intake.

What does this mean?

Overall, differences in gut bacteria explain differences in visceral fat levels to a greater extent than nutrients alone.

The researchers stress in their paper that their findings do not prove causal relationships. Further research will need to check whether and how certain nutrients and gut bacteria actively cause accumulation of visceral fat, accounting for differences in lifestyle.

This work however brings us one step closer to understanding the importance of good diets and a healthy gut for overall health.

TwinsUK researcher Dr Jordana Bell said:

“I’d like to thank our twins who so generously give up their time and samples to make this research possible. It’s because of them that we’re beginning to unravel the relationships between food, gut bacteria and abdominal fat.”

 

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