Scientists are delivering some unexpected cheer this Christmas. They have found that a couple of glasses of champagne a day are good for your heart and blood circulation.
Nor, they believe, are the benefits limited to expensive fizz: cheaper alternatives such as cava and prosecco may offer similar effects.
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The research is the handiwork of a team led by Dr Jeremy Spencer of Reading University, working with scientists in France, and is to be published in the British Journal of Nutrition this week.
"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," Dr Spencer told the Observer. "It is very exciting news."
Two glasses a day of red wine, previous research has found, helps ward off heart and circulation problems. Most of that effect comes from chemicals called polyphenols, which affect circulation by slowing down the removal of nitric oxide from the blood. In turn, elevated levels of nitric oxide cause blood vessels to dilate, which lowers blood pressure and reduces risks of heart problems and strokes.
December 15, 2009
