Yahoo News Why red wine should be your lockdown tipple of choice, this Friday
First off: a disclaimer. Know that experts from the World Health Organisation (WHO) have warned that alcohol is "an unhelpful coping strategy" for dealing with the stress of the coronavirus pandemic. Using drink to alleviate anxiety can make things worse, Dr Aiysha Malik, a technical officer at WHO Europe’s mental health and substance abuse department, cautioned last week.
But, given that it's Friday, if you are after a "start the isolation weekend" tipple, then a glass of red wine might be your best best. Why? Aside from the previously circulated potential advantages for heart health, a new study has found that drinking red wine is linked to better a boosted gut.
When researchers at Kings College London studied the effect of beer, cider, red wine, white wine and spirits on the gut microbiome (GM) of a group of 916 UK women, they found that those who drank red wine had a more diverse GM than those who did not. This result was also observed in other studies in the UK, US and Belgium.
The gut microbiome is the ecosystem of microorganisms that live in your gut and play an important role in all aspects of your health. The health of your gut microbiome is thought to have an impact on everything from immunity and inflammation to mood and mental health.
Dr Caroline Le Roy, first author of the study, said in a statement that, "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."
However, this isn't an excuse to mainline the Merlot - an infrequent glass of red wine is enough to get these gut-boosting benefits.
"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," says Dr Le Roy.
"If you must choose one alcoholic drink today, red wine is the one to pick... However, it is still advised to consume alcohol with moderation."
Even though it may be tempting to drink more alcohol than usual in this time of self-isolation, NHS advice is to not exceed 14 units per week (that's equivalent to six pints) and to spread that drinking over three or more days.
Alcohol also has a well-documented negative impact on mental health. The coronavirus outbreak is undoubtedly a stressful time for everybody, but look to Mind's mental health advice and resource tool-kit to cope with feelings of stress and anxiety, rather than increasing alcohol intake.
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