Red wine has antioxidants and polyphenols, which are great for the gut and the immune system. Although it's sweet, the sugar is naturally occurring through the fermentation process, and it's typically less than liquors like rum or sugary mixed drinks.
While alcoholism can make leaky gut worse, there are ways to find support. The condition, once diagnosed, can begin to heal when people stop drinking and start listening to a doctor's advice on how to properly care for their body.
But let's get specific: according to Healthline, moderate red wine consumption has been shown to somewhat improve helpful gut bacteria populations due to the fact that it contains polyphenols, a type of plant compound that gets broken down (or “eaten”) by gut bacteria.
Dry red wines, wine spritzers, light lagers, vodka, and gin may have less impact on your stomach. Talk to your doctor if symptoms persist after you space out drinks, drink water, or stop drinking.
Bone broth has a long history of being used as a digestive tonic to soothe inflammation. Two of its main components, gelatin and glutamine, are great for the gut. Gelatin can help heal inflammation and intestinal lining in the digestive system while glutamine, an amino acid, has been shown to aid in leaky gut.
Steer clear of sugary cocktails and sweet wines
All of those drinks contain FODMAPS, or fermentable sugars, which are not easily digested by folks with IBS, Crohn's, and colitis. You might experience bloating, stomach pain, constipation, or diarrhea if you're sensitive to FODMAPS.
Food and water. Having a meal or snack before you drink may help slow the rate your body absorbs the alcohol, so if you do choose to drink, it's a good idea to eat beforehand. Drinking water (or soft drinks) can also help, as long as it means you drink less alcohol.
Everyone has a mix of “good” and “bad” bacteria in their gut. Drinking too much alcohol disrupts the normal balance, increasing the bacteria that cause inflammation and irritation in the gut while decreasing the bacteria that aid in digestion.
These foods include refined sugars, grains, legumes (beans), nightshades, and more. If you have been diagnosed with an autoimmune or thyroid disease or believe you have a leaky gut, you should avoid these inflammatory foods: Grains and pseudo-grains include wheat, barley, rye, quinoa, buckwheat, chia seeds, and more.
Recent research shows that a 3 weeks abstinence from alcohol can help facilitate a complete recovery of the gut barrier. But it takes even long for your microbiome to get back to normal. Either way, a good start is to reduce your alcohol intake first to see how that can help improve your gut!
Drinking alcohol can have an impact on the probiotic bacteria in your gut microbiome. Heavy alcohol use over time can kill off many important gut bacteria. While taking a probiotic while drinking may not cause a bad interaction, such as when someone takes medications and drinks, it is still counterproductive.
Alcohol does cause inflammation of different organs including pancreatic cells. However, this inflammation may be reduced by drinking certain alcoholic beverages such as red wine. Certain alcoholic beverages, such as red wine, reduce inflammation because it contains tannin, which has anti-inflammatory properties.
Tips for managing IBS symptoms when drinking
If you choose to drink alcohol, here are our top tips that may reduce gut upset: Choose low FODMAP alcoholic beverages such as vodka/gin and soda water and try to limit to 2 drinks a day. Drink a glass of water between each alcoholic beverage. Eat low FODMAP foods.
Red wine, on the other hand, contains anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties thought to be beneficial in small quantities for those living with IBD. Wine contains varying amounts of sugar — drinking drier varieties, which have less sugar, may limit negative effects on IBD symptoms.
The biggest way to tell if your leaky gut is healing is when your energy and vitality have returned, you've regained mental clarity, your mood has improved, you've returned to your ideal weight, and you feel like your best self. It's important to remember that, as with most health concerns, gut health is on a spectrum.
Gas, bloating, and chronic diarrhea are all symptoms that point to a leaky gut. Crohn's disease, inflammatory bowel diseases, and any proposed gastrointestinal disorder can also lead to leaky gut syndrome. However, irritable bowel syndrome is probably the most telling.
For this reason, many people with leaky gut cut out coffee as they work to heal their leaky gut. A 2010 literature review suggested that green coffee (coffee made from unroasted coffee beans, which is not what most of us normally buy) may contribute to leaky gut more than dark roasted coffee.
“There's no one particular symptom” that defines leaky gut: “Some will have diarrhea or constipation, abdominal bloating, or they could feel tired. Sometimes they have nutritional deficiencies.” All of these symptoms overlap with other GI conditions and ailments.