What's Special About The Probiotics In Wine?

The friendly bacteria that thrive in wine are an especially hardy breed. Surviving in a high-alcohol medium is similar to surviving in the human stomach. 

How Scientists Know Wine Bacteria Can Make a Difference

The previously mentioned researchers at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid tested bacteria from wine against some of the enzymes and chemicals produced by the human digestive tract. They found that probiotic bacteria from wine were not dissolved by lysozyme, an enzyme in human saliva that breaks down the cell walls of potentially disease-causing microorganisms along with the cell walls of many potentially friendly bacteria. This meant that wine bacteria could survive at least until they reach the stomach.

Then the researchers tested the bacteria's ability to withstand gastric acid, the acid released by the lining of the stomach to digest food. The bacteria survived, which meant they could get as far as the small intestine. To assess survivability in the intestines, the researchers treated the bacteria with bile, and, once again, they survived, which suggests that probiotics from wine can last long enough to reach the colon, where they can do their work.

The Kinds of Difference Wine Bacteria Can Make

But what can wine bacteria really do for you? To find out, another group of scientists at the Laboratorio de Investigaciones Biomédicas del Hospital Virgen de la Victoria in Málaga, Spain, recruited 10 healthy male volunteers to drink a cup (240 ml) of red wine every day for 20 days (not a tough assignment), then to drink  a up of red wine with the alcohol removed every day for 20 days, and finally to drink a shot (100 ml) of gin every day for 20 days. The investigators measured various health parameters.

Drinking either regular red wine or alcohol-free red wine resulted in:

• Significantly lower blood pressure,
• Significantly lower LDL cholesterol,
• Significantly higher HDL cholesterol,
• Significantly lower C-reactive protein (a measure of vascular inflammation), and
• Increases in the overall number of health bacteria in the colon, even of strains of bacteria that are not found in wine. The reduction in inflammation was correlated with increases in a strain of probiotic bacteria known as Bifidobacteria.

See Also: Health Benefits Convincing Beer Drinkers To Switch Over To Wine

It doesn't take a lot of wine to make a real difference in health. Just a glass a day seems to be enough to encourage the growth of health bacteria and to generate a variety of cardiovascular benefits. Of course, if you are alcoholic, you will have to get your probiotic supporter from alcohol-free red wine, or from probiotic supplements. But red wine grape products seem to be as beneficial as yogurt.