Go with your gut: Why drinking coffee and wine is good for you

Researchers have found that certain foods such as coffee and wine help increase bacteria diversity in the gut and promote overall health.

If you enjoy drinking a good cup of coffee or relaxing with a nice glass of wine then there is good news for you.

Scientists have been conducting research into the effects that different foods and drinks have on the alteration of the bacteria balance in our guts and has found that foods such as fruits, vegetables, as well as coffee and wine, increases the level of bacteria diversity in the intestines according to UPI.

Dr. Jingyuan Fu, associate professor of genetics at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and senior author of one of the studies, found that the more diversity of bacteria in our guts, the healthier we are and goes towards warding off illnesses. “To our knowledge, this is the first study to systematically assess such a broad range of host and environmental factors in relation to gut microbiome and at such a large scale”, said Fu to the Los Angeles Times.

The study, which involved collecting more than 1,100 stool samples from participants living in the northern Netherlands and analyzing the DNA of the bacteria, found that certain foods and medications such as simple carbohydrates and antibiotics interrupted the bacteria diversity increasing the risk of poor health. Whereas coffee and wine were amongst the intakes that showed to help increase the diversity, as well as some fermented foods, and simple fruits and vegetables.

Much more needs to be done in this area of research and how the effects of what we ingest transcends to the microbiome variations in the gut but professor of Human Genetics Dr Cisca Wijmenga, of the University of Groningen, says that this study is more indepth than previous research into gut health and the new findings will help understand better how gut bacteria is influenced.

“Normally researchers only investigate one particular region of DNA in which different groups of bacteria can be distinguished. We have mapped all the bacterial DNA to gain much more detailed information about bacteria types.”

“Disease often occurs as the result of many factors. Most of these factors, like your genes or your age, are not things you can change. But you can change the diversity of your microbiome through adapting your diet or medication. When we understand how this works, it will open up new possibilities.”

The findings were published in the journal Science.