Gut health has never been more important to us. Nowadays, we aren't just putting up with bloating, pains and irritable bowels - instead, we're getting to the bottom of the problem, cutting foods out and generally understanding how important our guts are to our overall health.
Which is why the news that red wine could be good for our gut health has peaked our interest.
Yes, a study from King's College London found that people who drank red wine had increased gut microbiota diversity compared to people who didn't drink the red grape.
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It also found an association with lower levels of obesity and bad cholesterol for those you sipped the red stuff.
In the paper published in the journal Gastroenterology, researchers tested 900 pairs of twins to look at the effects of beer, cider, white wine, red wine, and spirits on the gut microbiome (GM) - the tens of trillions of bacteria found in our guts.
They discovered that the GM of red wine drinkers was more "diverse" compared to the others. Something that wasn't found with drinkers of white wine, beer or spirits.
An author of the study, Dr Caroline Le Roy, said: "While we have long known of the unexplained benefits of red wine on heart health, this study shows that moderate red wine consumption is associated with greater diversity and a healthier gut microbiota that partly explain its long debated beneficial effects on health."
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The study concluded that the main reasons or this was due to the polyphenols in red wine. Polyphenols are micronutrients that are packed with antioxidants and other health benefits.
High numbers of them are often credited with improving diabetes, digestion issues and cardiovascular diseases.
Lead author Professor Tim Spector, added: "This is one of the largest ever studies to explore the effects of red wine in the guts of nearly three thousand people in three different countries and provides insights that the high levels of polyphenols in the grape skin could be responsible for much of the controversial health benefits when used in moderation."
So is this our cue to guzzle Shiraz every evening? No, it the answer. The experts think drinking red wine once every two weeks is enough to observe an effect. Soz, guys.
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"Although we observed an association between red wine consumption and the gut microbiota diversity, drinking red wine rarely, such as once every two weeks, seems to be enough to observe an effect," Dr Le Roy added.
She continued: "If you must choose one alcoholic drink today, red wine is the one to pick as it seems to potentially exert a beneficial effect on you and your gut microbes, which in turn may also help weight and risk of heart disease. However, it is still advised to consume alcohol with moderation."
Now that's our kind of science.
Featured Image Credit: PexelsTopics: Science, Wine, Tasty Drink, Food And Drink, Health