UK scientists reveal that drinking one to three glasses of champagne a week may reverse memory loss associated with ageing, and could help delay the onset of degenerative brain disorders, such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers at the University of Reading in Berkshire say pinot noir and pinot meunier, two ingredients used to make champagne, contain compounds that can help prevent brain diseases and boost spatial memory. Spatial memory is responsible for recording information about one's environment, and storing the information for future navigation, according to the team.

While the study was published in 2013, the researchers’ findings recently gained attention as it went viral in social media.

In the study, the team gave three groups of eight rats a daily dose of champagne, a non-champagne alcoholic drink, or an alcohol-free drink for six weeks. The researchers assessed the rats’ performance at finding treats in a maze before and after this period.

The researchers reported that the rats who received champagne were found to be better at remembering how to find the treat than those given the alcohol-free drink. The rats were able to discover the treats roughly five times out of eight, compared with four times out of eight in rats given the other drinks.

“These exciting results illustrate for the first time that the moderate consumption of champagne has the potential to influence cognitive functioning, such as memory. Such observations have previously been reported with red wine, through the actions of flavonoids contained within it,” said Professor Jeremy Spencer from the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Reading.

However, he noted that based on their findings, champagne is also capable of influencing brain function through the actions of smaller phenolic compounds, previously thought to lack biological activity. “We encourage a responsible approach to alcohol consumption, and our results suggest that a very low intake of one to two glasses a week can be effective,” Spencer said.

The team hoped to translate these findings into humans in the near future. This has been achieved successfully with other polyphenol-rich foods, such as blueberry and cocoa, and we predict similar outcomes for moderate champagne intake on cognition in humans, said Dr David Vauzour, one of the study’s researchers.

Despite the study’s findings, NHS Choices said that there is still no hard evidence showing that champagne can prevent dementia. According to NHS, it should be noted that the University of Reading research involved a small number of rats, and would ideally need to be repeated on a larger number of rats by other researchers to make sure it is correct.

NHS also pointed out that the apparent improvements in the champagne group were only significant compared with the alcohol-free group – there was no significant difference in effect compared with the non-champagne alcoholic group. This means there is no firm proof that these effects were directly the result of the phenolic compounds present in champagne, according to NHS.

While it is not always possible to prevent dementia, particularly Alzheimer's, NHS said behavioural changes may help. The condition’s risk may be reduced by quitting smoking, drinking alcohol in moderation, maintaining a healthy weight through a balanced diet and exercise, and keeping one’s cholesterol and blood pressure at a healthy level.

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