What's the difference between a heart attack and cardiac arrest?
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Gut health is at the epicentre of human wellbeing, and understanding the microbes that reside in it has helped medicine in immeasurable ways. The gut comprises roughly 100 trillion bacteria, both good and bad, which are collectively referred to as the microbiome. The diversity of these microorganisms holds a significant influence on the risk of various health conditions, such as cancer and heart attack. A new study has suggested one alcoholic drink could bring variety to the microbiome and allow it to flourish.
New scientific findings suggest lager beer can confer some levels of protection against disease by altering the gut’s microbiome.
The new findings, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, compared the microbiome of men who drank either one alcoholic or non-alcoholic daily.
Their findings revealed that gut microbes reduced the risk for some diseases, suggesting that drinking in moderation could be healthful.
The microbiome is a complex colony of micro-organisms that resides within the lining of the human gastrointestinal tract.
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The implications of microbiome diversity for human health is a growing area of interest for scientists.
Science Daily noted: “Studies have shown that when more types of bacteria are present, people tend to have a low chance of developing chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes.”
Research published in the journal Microbiome has previously stated that the chemical processes related to gut bacteria have been tied to a higher risk of heart failure, and major cardiac events like heart attack and stroke.
Some earlier studies have even shown that lager beer could substantially reduce the risk of suffering a heart attack by altering the structure of blood clots.
These particular findings, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), were made by a team of Israeli researchers.
Writing in the BMJ, they said: “Pale lager beer causes structural changes in the blood clotting protein fibrinogen that can significantly reduce the risk of heart attacks.”
Doctor Shela Gorinstein, a senior researcher at the department of medical chemistry, explained at the time that it was the hops in lager beer that were largely responsible for this effect.
Hops are present in the majority of beer, but their grassy, floral and lemony taste is more prevalent in certain kinds.
The latest research highlights that beer also contains polyphenols and other microorganisms derived from the fermentation process.
Both these compounds are known to have a flourishing effect on the variety of microbes that reside in the human gut.
Scientists have previously found that men and women who drink non-alcoholic beer for 30 days have a broader diversity in their microbiome.
These results, however, have been inconsistent when volunteers consumed an alcoholic version of beer.
But the latest study suggests alcoholic versions of beer may be just as beneficial for the gut.
The new research was conducted on 19 healthy men, divided into two groups who drank 11 fluid ounces of either alcoholic or non-alcohol lager with dinner for four weeks.
Body mass index and markers for heart health and metabolism were left unchanged in the study.
At the end of the four-week period, however, both groups had greater bacterial diversity in their microbiome, indicating improvement in intestinal health.
Science Daily noted: “Based on this pilot study, the scientists said that consuming one bottle of beer, regardless of its alcohol content, may benefit the gut microbiome and intestinal health of men.”
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