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- The Drs. Francisco Tinahones and Vicente Martín have detailed at the 46th National Congress of SEMERGEN, how nutrition and healthy eating can help preserve health
- Experts point out that moderate beer consumption would have been associated with possible prebiotic effects due to the polyphenols present in this fermented drink.
Bilbao, October 4, 2024. “Due Due to its immunological and digestive functions, the microbiota has positioned itself in the 21st century as a key factor in the physiology of the human organism.”. This has been one of the statements of Dr. Francisco Tinahones, professor of Medicine at the University of Malaga and head of the CIBEROBN group at the Virgen de la Victoria Hospital in Malaga in the workshop on ‘The Mediterranean Diet: ally in the prevention of diseases‘ within the 46th National Congress of the Spanish Society of Primary Care Physicians (SEMERGEN) that is being held these days in Bilbao.
The expert has spoken about how the microbiota has changed evidently in recent decades due to the drastic changes in lifestyle to which today’s society is subjected. “Extreme asepsis, the use of antibiotics and little contact with our environment has caused many of the bacteria that have accompanied us for thousands of years to have disappeared from our intestines.”, Dr. Tinahones pointed out.
Diseases as prevalent as obesity and diabetes could be related to the biodiversity that the human intestine has been losing in recent years. In the words of the expert “To repair our microbiota we have the alternative of ingesting nutrients that have an effect on it (prebiotics) or giving live bacteria (probiotics). At this time, the use of prebiotics causes more consistent changes than the use of certain probiotics”.
Therefore, the intestinal microbiota is susceptible to being modified through diet. For this reason, it is advisable to follow a healthy lifestyle pattern, such as the Mediterranean Diet, which includes the moderate consumption of fermented beverages – such as beer -, including the healthy eating pyramid published by the Spanish Society of Community Nutrition (SENC). ).
Dr. Tinahones highlighted in his speech that, in addition to following healthy eating habits, it is essential to perform regular physical exercise and consume an adequate amount of fluids to care for our microbiota.
Regarding the composition of beer as a fermented drink, the professor has pointed out that in general more than 90% is water, but that it is also important to take into account the presence of other ingredients that beer provides and its effect on health, such as for example minerals and vitamins. Scientific studies have suggested that some natural components present in beer, such as polyphenols, could have effects prebioticsthat is, promoting the growth of beneficial microorganisms in the intestine.
Some of the foods richest in polyphenols can be found in the Mediterranean Diet, such as fruits, vegetables, cereals, nuts or fermented drinks, such as beer. “The healthy effects of the Mediterranean Diet are very likely due to the combination of many nutrients with prebiotic properties present in these foods.“, pointed out the Dr. Vicente Martín, member of the Board of Directors of SEMERGEN and Professor of the University of Preventive Medicine and Public Health of the University of León, who has also participated in the workshop. Adherence to this dietary pattern “significantly reduces the risk of diseases related to an unbalanced intestinal microbiota and contributes to general health”, noted Dr. Martín, adding that “A Mediterranean diet pattern is rich in polyphenols, substances that can explain at least in part the beneficial effects of the intestinal microbiota and general health.”.
In this sense, the microbiota expert has stressed the importance of polyphenols present in the beer since “have been related to the protective effect of the Mediterranean Diet since these molecules have very favorable effects on health. There are more than 4,000 natural polyphenols (substances of plant origin with antioxidant power), and incorporating them into our diet can help alleviate the effects of a stressful, sedentary and overfed lifestyle.”.
“The Mediterranean Diet contemplates the moderate consumption of fermented drinks, such as beer, as long as it is accompanied by food. Furthermore, due to its polyphenol content, this fermented drink could have beneficial effects on the intestinal microbiota. In fact, beer contains a wide variety of antioxidants, phenolic products, B vitamins, minerals (selenium, silicon, potassium), soluble fibers and microorganisms,” Dr. Tinahones has pointed out.
Both experts agreed that “is It is essential to avoid excessive alcohol consumption, respecting a moderate beer consumption of 200-300 ml of beer per day for women and 400-600 ml per day for healthy men, always accompanied by food.”. Dr. Tinahones has stressed that the beneficial effects of this type of beverage are only observed when consumption is moderate and responsible by healthy adults whose diet is healthy and balanced.
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