Whether you enjoy your mimosas at a rooftop brunch with the girls or to add some excitement to your simple saturday morning breakfast, you don’t have to feel so guilty about drinking them any more. Champagne may have more health benefits than we thought! As Drake suggested, a “24-hour champagne diet” might not be a half-bad idea!
According to Wine Spectator, recent research has suggested that drinking champagne offers surprising cognitive benefits: the study found that 1-2 glasses of champagne a week can help ward off age-related memory loss, as well as the onset of dementia and other degenerative brain disorders.
Reading University conducted a study in 2013, which revealed that drinking 3 glasses of champagne per week can help prevent memory loss and delay the onset of diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s.
“Daily supplementation with a low-to-moderate dose of champagne for six weeks led to an improvement in memory,” the study’s lead author, Dr. Giulia Corona, said “indicating phenolic compounds in champagne may interact directly with nerve cells, improve the communication between cells and encourage nerves that carry electrical signals in the brain to regenerate.”
But how does it work?
Champagne is made with Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes. Both are packed with phenolics, which help regulate signals in the cortex and hippocampus. These areas of the brain are connected with learning and memory.
As you age, proteins in your cortex and hippocampus start to diminish. However, the compounds found in champagne can help bring back these protein levels to normal. This is especially true if you have dementia or Alzheimer’s!
So whether you’re out celebrating with friends or cuddled up with your loved ones this New Year’s Eve, make sure you make a toast to good health!
Another benefit to champagne is heart Health
A little known fact about champagne is that it’s just as healthy for your heart as a glass of red is. This is because it’s made from red, as well as white, grapes, and therefore contains most resveratrol. This is an important antioxidant that prevents damage to your blood vessels, reduces bad cholesterol, and prevents blood clots.
Champagne also contains polyphenol antioxidants, which further protects the heart in its own way. It does this by slowing down the removal of nitric acid from the blood which can result in lower blood pressure. This helps to reduce the risk of heart problems and strokes. In fact, a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition showed that when two groups were given either champagne or a different alcoholic control beverage, only the former experienced the slower removal of nitric acid. However, both groups experienced beneficial blood vessel dilation and increased blood flow.
