O.K. this was a bit tongue in cheek, but a recent study has shown that I may not have been so wrong after all...
I admit that I didn’t have much scientific evidence for thinking that champagne is good for you – didn’t have any at all if I’m honest. Part of it was just based on the sort of stories I saw from time to time about very elderly, but lively people who attributed their long life to a daily glass of champagne.
Not hugely convincing I admit, but there was more...
How many times have you heard the expression “Laughter is the Best Medicine”?
Hundreds of times I dare say and I don’t think that many people would argue that feeling good makes a huge contribution to your health.My reasoning was that there’s not much that is so sure to make me feel good as champagne – works every time in fact, ergo..... champagne must be good for my health.
Another flimsy argument perhaps, but it felt right.
But for me the glincher was the polyphenols – the WHAT???
You’ve probably heard all that stuff about red wine being good for blood pressure and for reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes, well, a lot of that is down to some chemical compounds called polyphenols and there are lots and lots of them in red wine.
Now, we all know that most champagne is made from red as well as white grapes and because there are red grapes involved it just seemed obvious to me that there must be some of those magical little polyphenols in champagne too.
Again I didn’t have much proof of this, until now that is.
A team of scientists at Reading University in the U.K. has just completed a study that will be published in The British Journal of Nutrition and which concludes that champagne has the same health benefits as red wine.
Yippee! I knew it and we’re not just talking about a sip.
The leader of the study, Dr. Jeremy Spencer said:
“We have found that a couple of glasses a day has a beneficial effect on the walls of the blood vessels which suggests that champagne has the potential to reduce strokes and heart disease”
(the underlining is mine JH)
The way i see it, this should apply to just about any champagne: vintage champagne, non vintage champagne, cheap champagne as well as prestige cuvée champagne - everything except perhaps Blanc de Blancs champagne because that's got no red grapes in it.
Champagne has comes up trumps in other reports too.
Back in 2007 another study found that champagne protects against brain injuries that are caused by strokes, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and other illnesses.
I feel vindicated at last and I'm sure that it’s only a matter of time before champagne will indeed be prescribed by doctors to their patients up and down the land.
So drink up and feel good!
To read the full story go this this link:
http://bordeaux-undiscovered.blogspot.com
and look at the post for Tuesday 15th December 2009
Now I'll have to start campaigning for champagne to be included as part of your ' Five A Day'
Stay Bubbly
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