Here’s some news you’ll be happy to hear on a Friday: red wine is good for you, as long as you drink as many different varieties as possible. And the best part? This comes from Dr. Tim Spector, a renowned British epidemiologist who specializes in diet and the microbiome.
Spector suggests we should try to drink “thousands” of different types of red wines to improve our health, as a range of grape varieties can boost our immune system, fight disease and even improve mental health. Why red wine? It’s good for the microbiome, as it’s high in polyphenols, which gut microbes use as an energy source. To compare, white wine has a third fewer polyphenols than red.
“Don’t just stick with the same wine, get out there and try hundreds or thousands of different grape varieties that we generally don’t enjoy,” Spector says. “Let’s get those rare ones back on the map again because those could be helping you nourish really healthy gut microbes inside you and improve your health.” But he’s not suggesting anyone drink in excess, quite the opposite, as his research shows more than half a bottle of wine has a negative impact on our microbiome, so stick to a glass or two of red.
Source: Metro