If you toasted the New Year with a glass of bubbly, you've started 2010 right, say top British scientists: They have discovered that drinking champagne every day—just like red wine—helps keep strokes and heart attacks away.
Research has shown that two daily glasses of red wine help stave off circulation and heart problems. The health-boosting ingredients are thought to be polyphenol antioxidants, which occur naturally in fairly high levels in red wine but not in white. Polyphenols slow the removal of nitric oxide from the blood, which reduces blood pressure, thereby lowering the risks of strokes and heart attacks.
But what about red wine's rich cousin champagne, which is made with three varieties of grapes, two black and one white? "The question was: would champagne have the same impact as red wine or would it have the limited impact of white wine?" Dr. Jeremy Spencer of Reading University asked the Daily Mail.
Lovers of champagne can let out a sigh of relief. "We have found that a couple of glasses a day has a beneficial effect on the walls of blood vessels—which suggests champagne has the potential to reduce strokes and heart disease," Spencer said. "It is very exciting news."
The research team determined that champagne had a much bigger effect on blood levels of nitric oxide than a plain mixture of alcohol and carbonated water which contained no polyphenols. In the paper detailing the study, the team said, "Our data suggests that a daily moderate consumption of champagne wine may improve vascular performance via the delivery of phenolic constituents."
But what about people who want to improve their health but cannot afford champagne every day? The researchers said there was "no reason" other types of sparkling wines should not perform just as well.
And what about teetotalers? The research team also found high levels of polyphenols in cocoa beans, suggesting that a mug of hot cocoa will achieve the same healthful results. However, Spencer said, "The benefit is certainly the same but it doesn't seem as much fun somehow."
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