Red Wine Polyphenols Improve Lipids & Friendly Flora

In an incredibly difficult to follow study 10 healthy men each consumed red wine, gin, or de-alcoholized red wine for 20 days while having their fecal flora analyzed in great scientific detail. Either form of red wine consumption, but not gin, produced significantly beneficial changes to the friendly flora with corresponding lessening of inflammation, blood pressure, total cholesterol, and triglycerides.

This study is not only a good excuse to drink red wine in moderation, but it also strikingly demonstrates the link between friendly flora and metabolic health.

America is suffering from obesity, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome epidemics. The public health message is focused on eating better and exercising more, which are important, but these are issues most people already know. The emerging body of science says that much more focus should be placed on digestive health as a major factor in these epidemics.

Of course, the medical profession is unlikely to embrace this line of reasoning since their profession has damaged the digestive health of tens of millions of Americans with the inappropriate use of antibiotics. Even when antibiotics are truly needed the medical profession does little or nothing to prevent the extremely adverse side effects, especially in situations of recurring infection (like childhood ear infections).