Polyphenols and Ulcerative Colitis: An Exploratory Study of the Effects of Red Wine Consumption on Gut and Oral Microbiome in Active‐Phase Patients

SCOPE: This paper explores the effects of moderate red wine consumption on the clinical status and symptomatology of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), including the study of the oral and intestinal microbiome. METHODS AND RESULTS: A case control intervention study in UC patients is designed. Intervention patients (n = 5) consume red wine (250 mL day(−1)) for 4 weeks whereas control patients (n = 5) do not. Moderate wine consumption significantly (p < 0.05) improves some clinical parameters related to serum iron, and alleviates intestinal symptoms as evaluated by the IBDQ‐32 questionnaire. 16S rRNA gene sequencing indicate a non‐significant (p > 0.05) increase in bacterial alpha diversity after wine intervention in both saliva and fecal microbiota. Additional comparison of taxonomic data between UC patients (n = 10) and healthy subjects (n = 8) confirm intestinal dysbiosis for the UC patients. Finally, analysis of fecal metabolites (i.e., phenolic acids and SCFAs) indicates a non‐significant increase (p > 0.05) for the UC patients that consumed wine. CONCLUSIONS: Moderate and regular red wine intake seems to improve the clinical status and symptoms of UC patients in the active phase of the disease. However, studies with a greater sample size are required to achieve conclusive results.