Next time you indulge in a glass of wine after work, you may be helping the diversity of bacteria in your gut.
A new study published in Science examined factors that contribute to the diversity of people’s microbial community. After analyzing stool samples of 1,135 Dutch people enrolled in the Lifelines-DEEP study, it found that wine, coffee, tea and yogurt, among other factors, contributed positively to the microbial diversity in the gut.
Sugary sodas and smoking during pregnancy, on the other hand, decreased diversity.
“To our knowledge, this is the first study to systematically assess such a broad range of host and environmental factors in relation to gut microbiome and at such a large scale,” Jingyuan Fu, an associate professor at the University of Groningen and one of the authors of the study, told the LA Times.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- How Donald Trump Won
- The Best Inventions of 2024
- Why Sleep Is the Key to Living Longer
- Robert Zemeckis Just Wants to Move You
- How to Break 8 Toxic Communication Habits
- Nicola Coughlan Bet on Herself—And Won
- Why Vinegar Is So Good for You
- Meet TIME's Newest Class of Next Generation Leaders
Write to Tessa Berenson Rogers at tessa.Rogers@time.com