Potential Health Effects of Champagne Wine Consumption

Abstract

Epidemiological studies have suggested an inverse correlation between red wine consumption and the incidence of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative disorders. Although white wines are generally low in polyphenol content as compared to red wines, champagne has been shown to contain relatively high amounts of phenolic acids that may exert protective cellular actions in vivo. In this study, we have investigated the potential cardioprotective and neuroprotective effects of champagne. Our data suggest that a daily moderate consumption of champagne may improve vascular performance via the delivery of phenolic constituents capable of improving NO bioavailability and the modulation of metalloproteinase. Moreover, champagne intervention significantly increased spatial working memory in aged animals, whilst no improvement was observed in the presence of alcohol. Together, these data indicate that polyphenols present in champagne may induce cardioprotective and neuroprotective effects, delaying the onset of degenerative disorders.

Acknowledgements

Financial support for this work was from the Medical Research Council (grant number: G0400278/NI02). Funding by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/F008953/1; BB/E023185/1; BB/G005702/1) and the European Union (FP7 FLAVIOLA) are also acknowledged.