We ought to feel sorry for Champagne. So often dismissed as a luxury or party accessory, it rarely gets the chance to be heralded in its own right as a serious drink for everyday consumption.
But bubbly is actually one of the most wholesome booze options, with surprising health benefits that make it perfect not just for the holiday season but also a Tuesday Netflix night. Here’s why.
1. It’ll improve your memory
Two years ago, scientists at the UK’s University of Reading gave some rats Champagne every day for six weeks, then asked them to complete a maze. That might sound like a fraternity hazing ritual, but the results warranted celebration: Without drinking Champagne, the rats had an average success rate in the maze of 50 percent, but that increased to 70 percent after some bubbly.
“[The] research is exciting because it illustrates for the first time that moderate consumption of Champagne has the potential to influence cognitive functioning such as memory,” said the head researcher, Jeremy Spencer, Ph.D.
While the experiment has yet to be repeated on humans, Spencer’s conclusion was that compounds found in the two red grapes used to make Champagne — pinot noir and pinot meunier — can improve memory and spatial awareness to the extent that “one to three glasses a week” could “help delay the onset of degenerative brain disorders, such as dementia.”
2. It’s good for your heart
A lot has been made of red wine’s benefits for your heart, but Champagne (which is predominantly made from red grapes, of course) is just as healthy. One study found that the sparkling wine contained high levels of polyphenols — anti-oxidants found in red grapes but less intensely in white grapes — which can lower blood pressure and prevent heart problems.
In fact, Spencer, a man who appears to have generously given his life over to finding reasons for us to drink more, suggested that two glasses a day will do the trick. “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,” he has said.
3. It contains fewer calories than wine
Unless you consume it by the gallon, choosing Champagne over wine or beer represents the diet option. Sort of. A small flute of brut Champagne (which means it contains no more than 12 grams of residual sugar per liter) is usually 80 to 100 calories, fewer than in a 175-milliliter glass of wine and far healthier than a pint of beer.
“Not only does Champagne contain less calories,” says NYC-based nutritionist and registered dietitian Tanya Zuckerbrot, author of “The F-Factor Diet,” but also “the bubbles slow down consumption time and fill you up. So opting for Champagne [for the course of a night] can possibly save you hundreds of calories.”
4. It’s fast-acting — and a quick recovery
As anyone who has enjoyed an overdrawn wedding pre-reception knows, it doesn’t take long for Champagne to go to one’s head. That’s not always a good thing, but it does make it the perfect cocktail party tipple, quickly defusing awkwardness and lifting the mood. It’s all in the bubbles, apparently.
An experiment by the University of Oxford found that alcohol levels of participants drinking Champagne were higher after 20 minutes than of those given flat sparkling wine. It was decided that fizz gets into the bloodstream quicker as a result of the carbonation “rushing” the alcohol from the stomach to the small intestine.
It’s a matter for debate, but whatever the effect, it doesn’t last: Even if you accept that bubbly gets you tipsy quicker, after around 45 minutes you’ll be no more drunk than somebody having a glass of wine.
5. It’ll improve your skin
“Champagne detoxifies the skin with anti-oxidants, and its lightening tartaric acid helps even out the skin tone,” says dermatologist Marina Peredo. “For those with oily skin, its anti-bacterial properties [help with] breakouts.”
Copyright Guy Kelly/Telegraph Media Group Limited 2015
Bubbly buys: Get well with these four favorite bottles
— Peter Hellman
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