Drinking champagne every day ‘could help prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s’

They then placed the rats in a maze specially created to test their memory – and found that those who received champagne performed more effectively over a period of time. 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.

“The results were dramatic”, Professor Jeremy Spencer told the Mail on Sunday. In rats, improved memory was observed after six weeks, while humans would likely wait years to see the results of a steady Champagne habit.

While it’s true that champagne contains high levels of phenolic compounds, and the results of this oldish-but-sound research are promising, the kicker is that testing was conducted on rats, not people.

According to the 2013 study, Champagne’s phenolic compounds can actually improve spatial memory – the part of memory associated with one’s environment or ability to navigate – which typically deteriorates in old age.

However, health organization NHS Choices is questioning the study.

The research was based on an experiment involving rats, and was published by Reading University. 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. It claims that not only could popping a few bubbly help stop memory loss, but it could also prevent the onset of degenerative brain disorders, such as dementia and Alzheimers.