By now, most people have heard about the heart related health benefits of drinking red wine. But did you know many people are now drinking red wine for its stomach related benefits as well? Digestion-aiding supplements have been popular for quite some time, but the evidence for using red wine in aiding digestion is relatively new.

According to a study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, scientists claimed to have discovered an element of red wine that actually helps your body grow “good bacteria” in larger numbers.

During this particular study, a group of adults were told to avoid alcohol for fourteen days before they were examined in three separate 20 day periods. During the first, they drank a cup of red wine per day. During the second they drank the same amount of alcohol-free red wine. In the final period, they were examined as they drank around 100 milliliters per day of gin. Although the gin proved to improve intestinal flora as well, red wine produced much more dramatic results.

So research is clearly indicating that red wine helps with a healthy digestive system, but does that mean you should supplement your diet with it? Perhaps. On the other hand, there are plenty of digestive supplements on the marketplace that do not contain alcohol. In the end it really boils down to the type of lifestyle you live.

Drinking a glass or two of wine every night has long been proven to benefit the health of the heart and recent findings have shown that it may also have anti-aging properties. While there are probably better sources of probiotics available on the market—such as the kind found in yogurt and cheese—it’s good to know that there is another benefit to sitting back and enjoying a nice cabernet or merlot. It is worth noting, however, that the positive benefits of drinking red wine on a nightly basis are only found in having one or two glasses.