The benefits of wine are now being questioned. Some articles condemn it outright, stating that no amount of wine is safe. But this issue is more nuanced and grayer, rather than black and white.

Enter the Microbiome—and POSTbiotics.

It turns out that the ultimate arbiter on how any substance ingested will affect us (be it chemical or nutrient,) is your gut flora. You and I may drink wine with different results. They depend on what kind of gut flora we have.

My “wine POSTbiotic” may affect my health differently than yours.

References

Canadian Guidance Recommends Reducing Alcohol Consumption

Medscape Medical News. Marilynn Larkin, January 24, 2023

The risk of health harms from alcohol is low for people who consume two standard drinks or fewer per week, but it’s higher with greater consumption, according to new guidance from the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction.

“Drinking less is better,” says the guidance, which replaces Canada’s 2011 Low-Risk Drinking Guidelines (LRDGs).

Developed in consultation with an executive committee from federal, provincial, and territorial governments; national organizations; three scientific expert panels; and an internal evidence review working group, the guidance presents the following findings:

• Consuming no drinks per week has benefits, such as better health and better sleep, and it’s the only safe option during pregnancy.
• Consuming one or two standard drinks weekly will likely not have alcohol-related consequences.
• Three to six drinks raise the risk of developing breast, colon, and other cancers.
• Seven or more increase the risk of heart disease or stroke.
• Each additional drink “radically increases” the risk of these health consequences.

“Alcohol is more harmful than was previously thought and is a key component of the health of your patients,” Adam Sherk, PhD, a scientist at the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, and a member of the scientific expert panel that contributed to the guidance, told Medscape Medical News. “Display and discuss the new guidance with your patients with the main message that drinking less is better.”

Red Wine’s Potential Benefits for Cardiovascular Health

Mauricio Wajngarten, MD. Medscape, February 24, 2023

In recent weeks, you may have noticed some familiar headlines about red wine and cardiovascular health. Why the sudden return of these stories? Because of an article recently published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition… on the effects of red wine on gut flora and plasma levels of trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO). Previous results, such as those reported in a 2019 Medscape article, have pointed to the beneficial effect that red wine has on the gut microbiome.

The Wine Flora Study involved 42 men (average age, 60 years) with documented coronary artery disease. The trial encompassed two 3-week interventions. In one, the participants consumed 250 mL of red wine per day; the red wine sample had an alcohol content (% v) of 12.75. The Brazilian Wine Institute produced and supplied the red wine: a 2014 Merlot bottled in August 2016 and customized for the study. The second intervention involved alcohol abstention.

Each intervention was preceded by a 2-week washout period. Because certain foods and drinks could interfere with the results, the participants were instructed not to consume alcoholic beverages, fermented foods (yogurt, kombucha, soy lecithin, kefir, sauerkraut, and other fermented vegetables), synthetic prebiotics (insulin, fructooligosaccharides), fiber, dairy, food polyphenols (grapes, grape juice, cranberries, strawberries), and probiotics.

At each intervention, the gut microbiota was analyzed via 16S rRNA high‑throughput sequencing. This method makes it possible to identify bacterial species. The plasma metabolome of 20 randomly selected participants was evaluated by ultra‑high‑performance LC–MS/MS. In this method, liquid chromatography separates the compounds, and a mass spectrometer is used to analyze them.

One of the metabolites of interest was TMAO, which is produced from the trimethylamine released when gut bacteria process protein-rich foods. TMAO has been identified as playing a role in the development of atherosclerosis.

After red wine consumption, there was significant remodeling of the gut microbiota, with a difference in beta diversity and predominance of Parasutterella, Ruminococcaceae, several Bacteroides species, and Prevotella. Plasma metabolomic analysis revealed significant changes in metabolites after red wine consumption, consistent with improved redox homeostasis, which is involved in the oxidative stress that promotes atherosclerosis. Plasma TMAO, however, did not differ between red wine intervention and alcohol abstention.

The researchers concluded that modulation of the gut microbiota may contribute to the putative cardiovascular benefits of moderate red wine consumption. But, as they were careful to point out in the very title of the study, a red wine intervention does not modify plasma TMAO. They also mentioned that the 3-week period may have been too short for the findings to serve as the basis for promoting any meaningful modification. In addition, the team emphasized that these data remain hypothesis‑generating and pave the way for future research.