In a clinical trial of 19 healthy men, researchers discovered that a daily bottle of beer — alcoholic or non-alcoholic — changed the composition of the men's gut bacteria over four weeks. Particularly, either type of beer boosted the diversity in their gut microbes.
In general, greater diversity in gut bacteria is considered better than less diversity. Experts cautioned, although, that it's unclear whether people would get any health benefits from the gut changes witnessed in this short-term trial.
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"We have a lot left to learn about what defines a healthy balance of gut bacteria," announced Lauri Wright, chairwoman of nutrition and dietetics at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville.
Wright, who is further a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, was not involved in the study. She announced it's always useful to have research that attempts to observe the effects of a food on the human body.
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Though in the real world, it's overall diet that matters. And there is more to any food, or beverage, than its effects on gut microbes, Wright announced.
She recommended focusing on general diet quality rather: Limit highly processed products and get plenty of nutrient-rich whole foods — including fruits and vegetables — instead of a daily beer.
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The study, published June 15 in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, is one of the latest to delve into the hot topic of the gut microbiome.
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The term refers to the vast collection of bacteria and other microorganisms that naturally dwell in the gut. Research in recent years has shoed exactly how important those microbes are to the body's normal processes — from metabolism to immune defenses to brain function.
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Makeup of the gut microbiome is influenced by many factors, including genes, health conditions, stress and medication use (particularly antibiotics). Though research shows diet is a key player.
Past studies have discovered that diets rich in vegetables, beans, grains, nuts and fish — like the famous Mediterranean diet — may boost gut microbe diversity. There is further proof that fermented foods, like yogurt and kimchi, can do the same.
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For the new trial, Portuguese researchers wished to test the effects of beer, which is a fermented extract of malted barley grains.
Beer further has numerous plant compounds, called polyphenols, that may affect gut microbes, according to the researchers, who were led by Ana Faria of NOVA University Lisbon.
Faria's team recruited 19 healthy men who were moderate drinkers and randomly assigned them to one of two groups. One group drank a bottle of lager beer with dinner every night for four weeks; the other drank a non-alcoholic version. Both groups were directed to keep up their normal eating and exercise habits.
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Before and after that four-week period, the men provided stool samples for an analysis of their gut bacteria.
Overall, the investigators discovered, both groups revealed an uptick in their microbe diversity, along with revved up activity in fecal alkaline phosphatase. The researchers said that can be an indicator of better intestinal function.
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Though a microbiome expert not involved in the study announced the conclusions are "not very convincing."
"This is a small study looking at the composition of gut microbes at the genus level," announced Dr. Emeran Mayer of the UCLA Brain Gut Microbiome Center in Los Angeles. It did not look at measures of microbiome function, he went on.
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That is not to dismiss the possibility for beer to support a healthier gut. Mayer stressed that consumption of hops, a plant used in beer brewing for aroma and bitterness, has been linked to health benefits. So it would be interesting, he stated, for studies to look at whether microbiome changes are one mechanism.