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Single men are certifiably stinky
No, not in an “Ugh, can you call just text me back?” way. They just literally smell worse than men in relationships. In a strange study at Macquarie University in Australia, researchers had women from 18-35 years old rate the BO of different men. Interestingly enough, the BO of single men was stronger. Why? Single men actually have higher testosterone levels, which are associated with stronger-smelling body odor. Now you know!
Ditch unsatisfying relationships in your 20s for better sleep in your 30s
Consider this encouragement to “thank u, next” your red-flag relationships early on. Researchers assessed the correlations between sleep, stress, and relationships of the same study participants at ages 23, 32, and 37. At each touchpoint, they interview the subjects about their relationships to determine their relationship effectiveness. A high relationship-effectiveness score means their relationships are mutually caring, emotionally close, and responsive. They also value faithfulness and honesty. By contrast, a low relationship-effectiveness score denotes negative relationship experiences and even destructive behavior. The results? “We find that people who are high in relationship effectiveness in early adulthood experience fewer, less disruptive stressful life events at age 32, which in turn predicts better sleep quality at age 37,” the study reports. Notably, the clear pattern throughout is that high relationship effectiveness directly correlates with lower stress exposure.
like fine wine, Being single gets better with age
Well, here’s an encouraging one for singles. A survey on aging in Germany analyzed the relationship status, loneliness, and level of satisfaction of participants aged 40-85 in 2008 and again in 2014. Although being single is a predictor of loneliness, it’s becoming less so with advanced age. It means as you get older, the less lonely you’ll feel about being single. In fact, this survey suggests people’s satisfaction with being single actually increases over time. One more important thing to note: The later someone was born, the more satisfied they were with being single than were their older counterparts. It’s a new world, friends. Embrace your single status with pride!
Overcoming your social-media addiction can improve your love life
We always suspected as much. Researcher Irum Saeed Abbasi examines addiction to social media as well as its potential effects on romantic relationships in a series of studies with concerning findings. First, he reports younger participants have higher social networking-site addiction scores. Then, social-media addicts are less likely to say that they wanted their current relationship to last for a long time. Similarly, social-media addiction also shows strong connections with infidelity-related behaviors and romantic disengagement. To prevent social from sinking your relationship, put down the phone and prioritize quality time with your partner away from screens. Go for a walk, take a trip, or simply set the table for a dinner you can have over old-fashioned, face-to-face conversation.
Making fun of your partner can make your relationship stronger
But here’s the key: You both have to be in on the joke. Professor Jeffrey Hall from the University of Kansas has done almost 40 different studies with 15,000 people over the last thirty years. After examining so many relationships, he reports that humor is critical to building a happy relationship. Perhaps it’s that being able to laugh together builds security between partners. Then, another study from Appalachian State University reports that couples who make fun of each other regularly boast strong relationships. Again, it implies a level of comfort with one another. But remember, both people have to find it funny! Hall points out that an aggressive sense of humor does the exact opposite and hurts your relationship. We’re talking light inside jokes, not passive aggressively making sarcastic digs about their insecurities.
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]]>The post 5 Meditation Benefits You Don’t Want to Miss Out On appeared first on HUM Nutrition Blog.
]]>5 Health Benefits of Meditation
1. Better Mood
Let’s start with the expected. We imagine most people start a meditation practice to live a less stressed and more zen lifestyle. According to science, they’re right to do so! Studies show meditation can help reduce a whole bunch of nasty feelings including stress, anxiety, and depression. In fact, some studies even report that a meditation practice can be as effective as medication in preventing depressive episodes and relapses.2. Super Skin
A stressed mind goes hand in hand with stressed skin. Psychophysiological skin conditions are those that have a physical cause but become exacerbated by stress. Examples include acne, eczema, rosacea, psoriasis, and more. Studies show that stress reduction can help improve your skin’s resiliency to these stress-related skin conditions. In one especially intriguing study, those undergoing light therapy treatments for psoriasis healed much faster when they paired their treatments with audio meditation.
3. Weight Loss
According to research at Brown University, people who are less mindful are 34% more likely to be obese. No, it’s not that you’ll torch as many calories meditating as you will in a spin class. However, studies show meditation can be an effective means of improving weight loss. It’s also helpful for keeping weight off. Why? Because a mindfulness practice can lead to more mindful eating and greater self-restraint.4. Productivity
Reminder: Even Don Draper hopped aboard the meditation train. Studies show meditation can improve team cooperation, productivity, and reduce burnout in the workplace. Additionally, one study in Japan found that employees who meditated had enhanced job performance, work engagement, and satisfaction compared to employees who didn’t meditate. Yet another study reports increased creativity after just one week of regular meditation.5. Stronger Relationships
Research at Emory University found that after eight weeks of mindfulness training, study participants displayed increased activity in the areas of the brain related to empathy. Another study reported improved language skills after four weeks of mindfulness training. The results find that meditation can not only make you more sensitive to those around you, but also be better able to communicate with them. Finally, in a scientific analysis of 12 different studies, researchers found that more mindful individuals have higher-quality relationships. Sign us up!
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The Challenges In Hangover Research Until Now
First, there’s been some disagreement in the scientific community about what a hangover actually is. Most of us are familiar with the feeling. However, quantifying it for the purpose of a study is a greater challenge. In the past, some studies merely look at those who are experiencing certain hangover symptoms. Others qualify those with a certain blood-alcohol concentration. Then there’s the actual process of inducing a hangover for the sake of science. Studies can go one of two routes here. First, they can “administer” the alcohol themselves for more quantifiable results. Second, they can allow the participants to consume alcohol on their own time. As the new report notes, the former approach can bring up a few “practical and ethical issues.” On the other hand, the latter can’t account for external late-night variables such as food trucks or the amount of sleep they get. To get some answers once and for all, the psychologists at the University of Bath looked at a pool of 770 hangover studies. They then narrowed it down to 19 that met their standards. They then analyzed all the results to determine what findings rang true overall.New Analysis Results
Thanks to the new study analysis from psychologists, we now know for sure that a hangover has a significant effect on the following areas.
Memory
In the cross-examination of several studies, it became apparent that both short-term and long-term memory were affected the day after heavy drinking. Specifically, memory formation (rather than retrieval) appears to be impaired. That means it’s not just the night before that will be a little fuzzy. In a hangover state, you’re actually less likely to retain and file away important details. It’s not exactly ideal for important meetings at work.Sustained Attention
Also known as your ability to concentrate on a task. The various study results suggest that hangover-induced fatigue may be to blame. “Fatigue is a common symptom of hangovers and involves reward-cost trade-offs,” the study reads. So maybe you’re able to stay hyper-focused on getting that breakfast burrito in your system (high reward), but less focused on making it through that yoga class you booked two days ago.Psychomotor Speed
Nope, this isn’t the name of a heavy metal band (but it should be!). Psychomotor speed refers to your brain’s ability to detect and react to outside stimuli. While there had been conflicting results in individual studies, this analysis found there was an overall impairment in your brain’s reaction time. As you can imagine, this one’s a huge deal for safe driving. In fact, a few of these studies in the analysis assessed driving specifically and reported a decreased ability to control a vehicle. To be safe, we say go on and treat yourself to a Lyft the day after drinking so you can focus on hydrating. Combine all these impairments and, frankly, we wouldn’t recommend getting behind the wheel—or even your work laptop—in such a state. Instead, we say pop two of HUM’s Wing Man capsules, detoxify your liver, and call us in the morning.
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Cricket Study Details
Here’s how the study goes down. First, they pick twenty lucky adults to participate in the six-week trial. Half are given a breakfast containing 25 grams of crickets, and the other half a non-cricket control breakfast for 14 days. Then, both groups receive a washout period (basically, a break from the study) before returning and switching to the opposite breakfast. Researchers collect blood and stool samples before and after each trial period. Their findings? First, it’s worth noting that the crickets were “tolerable” at the studied dose. (Though we can only assume this refers to the physical implications and might not speak to the actual taste…) Then, it turns out eating crickets supports the growth of the friendly probiotic strain known as bifidobacterium animalis. In other recent studies, this strain was shown to provide gastrointestinal support and also boost the immune system. Those who ate the cricket breakfast had five times as much of this healthy bacteria compared to their baseline. Impressive! Though frankly, we think we might stick with our probiotics. You can read the full study results here.
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]]>The post If You’re Guilty of A Hangry Meltdown, Read This appeared first on HUM Nutrition Blog.
]]>You’ve seen the commercials before: Someone transforms into a negative, needy companion, their friend hands them a snack, and they revert back to their happy, original selves. It’s a phenomenon known as feeling “hangry,” or a certain type of anger and irritation that arises when you feel hungry. In recent years, the emotion of hanger (and its accompanying negative behaviors) has been researched.
At first, the results seemed straightforward. A 2016 study at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden found that ghrelin, the “hunger hormone,” increases impulsive behavior. Translation? Hungry people do dumb things. Another study at the University of Florida found that low glucose levels correlate with greater aggression in married couples. Their reasoning? Keeping the peace in a relationship requires self-restraint, which requires energy.
But while there is some truth to both of these theories, they may not paint the full picture.
So what exactly is hanger? And how do we stop it from taking control over our mid-afternoons or late nights? We spoke to experts to learn more about why we get hangry and how to keep hanger at bay.
What Does Hangry Mean?
You’ve likely felt hangry before, but what exactly is it? “‘Hangry’ is a portmanteau of hungry and angry,” says Jennifer MacCormack, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Virginia who has studied hanger. “Studies suggest that when we’re hungry, we may be prone to feeling more negative and reactive—which includes emotions like anger, frustration, and irritability but can also include feeling more stressed, upset, anxious, or tense.”
Is Being Hangry a Real Thing?
Is feeling hangry a real reaction, or is it just in our heads? Hanger is certainly a biological response happening in your body (like low blood sugar or dehydration), but there’s also an emotional aspect.
A recent study from the University of North Carolina authored by MacCormack and her colleague has insight into why people get “hangry”—and it’s not just a lack of food. Turns out, our emotional awareness plays a significant role in whether we get hangry or not. People who were mindful about their anger and sadness were more forgiving of the uncomfortable situations they dealt with in the study despite having gone a long period of time without food.
“The emotions we feel are caused by complex body-brain communications that are constantly filtering, predicting, and making meaning of the external world around us based on the present situation we are in, our prior experiences, how much attentional capacity we have in any given moment, our culture, and many other factors,” MacCormack says. So, hanger is both real in a biological sense and is also in our heads.
Why Do We Get Hangry?
The feeling of being hangry happens after going too long without food. When the brain anticipates that the body’s energy stores are starting to dip, several hormones get released, such as cortisol.
“We often associate some of these hormones with feeling stressed, but really, many so-called stress hormones play an important role in metabolism or energy regulation in the body and brain—in large part because during a stressor, you need to mobilize a lot of energy to potentially fight or flee,” MacCormack says. “These hormones not only prepare the body to be on standby to digest food once it arrives, but also they help create the bodily sensations and unpleasant feelings that motivate you to go find food in the first place (overt signals like gurgling stomach, slight headache, but also emotional states like feeling negative or tense.”
If you’ve gone too long without eating, you’ll likely experience a dip in your blood sugar. What happens when your blood sugar drops? “Bood sugar drops deprive the brain of glucose, its main energy source,” says Gaby Vaca-Flores, RDN, CLE, educational specialist at HUM Nutrition. “From here, undesirable effects can start to unfold such as low energy, headaches, and, as you might guess, hanger.”
Why Do Some People Get More Hangry Than Others?
There are many factors that influence how intensely and quickly people become hungry (and therefore experience hanger). Some people need to eat every two hours or they’ll have intense reactions, while others can go many hours without food and not feel hungry. Your body’s metabolism and energy needs can also vary with age and vary day to day depending on certain events. “For example, a bad night of sleep leads to higher ghrelin (a key hormone that signals energy insufficiency) and more intense feelings of hunger the next day,” MacCormack says. “Similarly, in older adulthood, ghrelin levels decline, as does appetite.”
However, another key factor that MacCormack recently investigated is people’s interoception (or awareness of internal bodily cues). “There is huge variation in how people can access, notice, and accurately perceive their bodily states and sensations, including hunger,” she says. “All of these things can determine how intensely and quickly we feel hungry—and whether we notice we’re starting to get hungry in the first place.”
It should be noted that being hungry doesn’t automatically lead people to become hangry. In prior studies, MacCormack and her colleagues found two factors that determine whether someone will get hangry or not. The first is the type of situation: MacCormack found that hunger only influences people’s emotional reactions to negative, unpleasant stimuli, but not neutral or pleasant stimuli. This means that you’re not going to experience hunger every time you feel hungry—it depends on the situation you’re in.
Instead, hunger is more likely to exacerbate your reactions to something somewhat unpleasant (like being stuck in a line or traffic or having an impending deadline). “Interestingly, hunger may also be more likely to bias reactions when stimuli or situations are ambiguous or unclear,” MacCormack says. “Maybe your coworker or partner makes an ambiguous comment about something you did. When hungry, you might be more likely to read negative meanings or intentions into that ambiguous comment.”
So what does this all mean? Your self-awareness in the moments you feel hungry matters. MacCormack and her team found that when hungry people were made away of their feelings (even implicitly), they responded to a frustrating situation similarly to individuals who had recently eaten.
“Hungry but unaware people were the ones who got hangry—both in terms of their reported emotions and social judgments of a stranger. This suggests that people are more likely to become hangry when they are caught up in the world or situation around them,” MacCormack says. “When we take a moment to notice our feelings, we may be more able to recognize that the true source of our negative reactions is due to hunger rather than a given situation or person.”
How Long Should You Go Without Eating?
So, how long should you go without eating? The answer varies from person to person, but Vaca-Flores recommends eating a meal or a snack every two to four hours as a general rule (or whenever you feel hungry). “Going extended periods of time without food (think: six or more hours), can deplete your body’s energy stores, leading to consequences such as low blood sugar levels, mental and physical fatigue, mood changes, and extreme cravings or overeating,” she says.
If you’re intermittent fasting (IF), these rules may not work for you. “In the case of IF, it’ll be important to prioritize the quality and quantity of your food to make sure you’re eating enough calories during your eating window,” Vaca-Flores says. It should be noted that some people should avoid a fasting-based eating schedule. Vaca-Flores recommends staying away from intermittent fasting if you:
- Have imbalance blood sugar or pressure levels
- Are experiencing (or recovering from) an eating disorder
- Are underweight
- Take medications
- Are planning to become pregnant, are pregnant, or are breastfeeding
Hangry Solutions
So, what’s the best way to avoid being hangry? Both MacCormack and Vaca-Flores agree: It all comes down to awareness.
1. Act Fast, Pack Snacks
“Once you start to feel hungry, make sure to eat a meal or snack that is balanced with protein, healthy fats, and carbs,” Vaca-Flores says. “For instance, I like to keep a bag of trail mix or a protein bar when I’m out and about just in case I get hungry and don’t have access to a meal. These snacks can help keep my blood sugar levels balanced and my mood at bay.”
2. Eat on Schedule
If you struggle with noticing you’re getting hungry, MacCormack recommends setting a timer or an alarm to remind you to eat in regular intervals. That way, you’re always staying ahead of the feeling of hunger.
3. Tune In
You can also work on honing the skill of awareness through other activities. “Some activities may also potentially improve body awareness and attention—such as having a regular exercise routine, doing yoga, or meditating,” she adds.
And on days when your body’s energy levels are already compromised (such as after a bad night’s sleep or the first day after catching a cold), MacCormack suggests paying extra attention to self-care in terms of nutrition and the types of situations you put yourself in.
But here’s the good news: Despite what previous studies suggest, we are not fated to erupt into a hangry meltdown every time we go too long without food. We do have some control. If you’re hungry and stuck in an unpleasant situation without access to food immediately, MacCormack suggests taking a step back and noticing your feelings. “If you’re feeling hungry, then it could be biasing your perceptions of the people and world around you,” she says. “In that moment of awareness, you have more power to change your behaviors.”
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]]>The post Can Female Friendships Improve Your Health? appeared first on HUM Nutrition Blog.
]]>Let’s face it: We live in a time in which instant connection is easier than ever. We can basically get whatever we want, whenever we want it. Want to remember the name of the actor that was in the movie you love? Look it up. Want any type of food you can imagine on your doorstep? Order it. Want a date for Friday night? Swipe away! However, with all this connection, we seem to be more disconnected than ever.
Community connection is at the core of who we are as humans, and this connection is especially important for women. There are so many pressures on the modern woman to be “perfect” that we’re left feeling inadequate and compare our accomplishments and even how we look, dress, and feel to our peers. But when we can put aside our judgments and embrace our differences, we’re also able to uplift and empower one another. Spending in-person, quality time with a group of women can have an incredible effect on your health.
Support-System Science
Staying on top of healthy eating and exercise routines is important—but sometimes we need that little external push to keep going. Using friends or a healthy community to talk through a slump makes a huge difference.
And guess what? There’s science behind why this works. Oxytocin, the bonding hormone, helps to stimulate dopamine, a neurotransmitter that drives internal rewards and encourages us to learn, explore, and achieve psychological wellness. When it comes to behavior, it’s much easier to make healthier decisions because we want to, rather than feeling like we “should,” which is exactly what dopamine helps us do.
A Newly Discovered Response To Stress
Stress is a physiological response to the environment, not just a state of being. When the body’s under stress, a hormone called cortisol is released. Our bodies don’t know what causes the stress; it just knows how to set the right hormonal reaction into play, aka the “fight or flight” stress response.
For years, researchers thought that this was the only stress response mechanism. But research shows us that there’s actually an alternative stress mechanism called “tend and befriend” that’s unique to women.
This alternative stress response is triggered when women exercise their more nurturing side: spending time with their children or families, calling a friend, or even gathering with a group. Activities like this stimulate oxytocin (the bonding hormone) release. Oxytocin can help calm the nervous system and reduce levels of stress. Spending time with supportive women can increase stress resilience.
Other Benefits of Getting Together
Something magical happens when women gather—especially those who are going through a similar health journey. It can be easy to get caught up and compare ourselves to others, but the truth is no one is perfect and we all have aspects of life and our bodies that we struggle with!
We often only think of success as us reaching our goals. But reaching our goals isn’t always a journey that comes in a neat little package. Social media is especially good at glossing over this fact and making us feel “less-than” or “not good enough.” We always see the before-and-after photos, but what does life look like in between?
Gathering with our peers reminds us that we’re all on our own health journey. The path from point A to point B isn’t always linear. We eat healthy, we mess up, we get back on. Listening to how others can progress and overcome obstacles is incredibly empowering, because it reminds us that us too can achieve anything we want.
In sum, no one has it figured out! We’re all on a journey, which is so much more enjoyable when we can spend it with friends—especially because it has such a positive impact on our bodies and brains!
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]]>If you thought green tea was the only healthy option, think again. A recent study at UCLA found that drinking black tea may help you lose weight—and for a surprising reason.
Black tea for weight loss: The Study
First, mice were divided into four groups. The first group ate a low-fat, high-sugar diet. The second group’s diet: high sugar, high fat. The third group’s diet: high sugar, high fat, plus green-tea extract. Finally, the fourth group’s diet: high sugar, high fat, and black-tea extract.
After four weeks, the mice on high-fat diets with either of the tea extracts had lost the same amount of weight as the mice on a low-fat diet. Why? Because both types of tea had a positive effect on gut bacteria.
“Both green and black teas are prebiotics, substances that induce the growth of good micro-organisms that contribute to a person’s well-being,” says lead researcher Susanne Henning. However, the mice that consumed black-tea extracts were the only ones to have an increase in a specific type of bacteria called Pseudobutyrivibrio.
“Our new findings suggest that black tea, through a specific mechanism through the gut microbiome, may also contribute to good health and weight loss in humans,” Henning adds.
Additionally, one important distinction discovered between green and black tea in this study is the effect on the liver. Molecules in green tea are smaller and therefore easier for the body to absorb and reach the liver. By contrast, black has larger molecules which stay in the intestinal tract to enhance the growth of good bacteria and the formation of microbial metabolites that contribute to metabolism regulation.
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Whole Grains for Weight Loss: the study
The eight-week study compared the effects of eating whole grains to refined grains. Researchers divided participants randomly into two groups: those who would eat whole grains, and those who would eat refined grains. Aside from this marker, meals for both groups looked the same, with similar macronutrient and meal structures. The participants who ate whole grains had higher metabolisms and were able to lose around 100 calories more per day through energy expenditure than the participants who consumed refined grains. Here’s where it gets interesting. While it may be tempting to chalk that up to the fact that the fiber in whole grains helped participants feel full, it’s not exactly that simple. Participants in both groups reported feeling satiated after their meals. The scientists believe that the fiber actually made it easier for participants to digest the other foods they ate. They say digestion is what caused the participants’ increase in resting metabolic rate.Whole Grains and Gut Health
This research was conducted in tandem with a study looking at the effects of whole grains on healthy gut microbiota and the immune system. “The strength of the study is that we found modest effects of whole grain on gut microbiota and measures of immune function in the context of a controlled energy and macronutrient diet where all food was provided to participants, allowing them to maintain their body weight constant, thus eliminating the confounding effect of weight loss associated with increasing fiber consumption on immune and inflammatory markers,” said senior author Simin Nikbin Meydani, D.V.M., Ph.D. Basically, similar studies in the past were unable to tell if changes in inflammation or gut bacteria was caused by weight loss or whole grains. This study assigned participants a diet that would maintain their weight, thus eliminating that particular issue. The study found that people who ate whole grains had a decrease in Enterobacteriaceae and an increase in Lachnospira. The former causes inflammation, while the latter produces short-chain fatty acids. These fatty acids give your colon cells energy and are very important for your overall gut health.Whole Grains to add to Your Diet
So how can you reap the benefits of these studies? Swap your refined carbs for whole grains, like the following:- Oats
- Quinoa
- Barley
- Brown rice
- Whole-wheat flour
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]]>5 Health Benefits of Being Single
With Valentine’s Day approaching, it may seem that the universe is hell-bent on making you think that everyone’s in a grand romance. However, here are five science-backed reasons why being single means living the good life with health benefits.
1. Better Sleep Habits
When you sleep on your own, you have fewer disruptions. A partner with a sleep disorder, different bedtime, or simply loud snoring proves that sleeping alone has its health benefits. The Better Sleep Council released a survey citing six out of 10 people crave sleep more than sex. This craving makes sense: Insufficient sleep can contribute to depression, dry and aging skin, weight gain, stress, and even loneliness. In fact, 26 percent of respondents say they sleep better alone than with a partner!2. More Likely to Exercise Regularly
A poll in the UK deduced that within the high number of people not meeting the recommended 150 minutes of physical activity per week, 76% of men and 63% of women were married. Comparatively, only 24% of men and 33% of women who didn’t get enough exercise were single or divorced. It seems that fitness and health can become less of a priority when you’re in a relationship. This deduction segues into the following health benefit for singles…3. Less Likely to Gain Weight
A survey of British participants studied the weight habits of couples. It found that single individuals were less likely to gain weight. In the survey of married couples, 62% reported gaining 14 pounds on average after entering their relationship. Next, 72% reported noticing weight gain in their partner as well. The survey further explains this trend: 30% of the couples spent most of their time together staying in and watching TV, while 20% shared quality time by dining at restaurants. It seems apparent that single people are more likely to spend time working on self-improvement than people in relationships. For instance, a Psychology Today article found that single people spent 56 minutes a day on average on educational activities. These included taking a class for credit or personal interest and doing research or homework. This figure was much greater than the five minutes a day married people spent on these same activities.4. Deal with Less (Financial) Stress
Money concerns are one of the leading causes of stress across the board. However, there seems to be an additional burden when these concerns are brought into a relationship. For instance, one study found that one in three people have lied to their partners about money. A separate long-term study found that marital stress made people less able to savor positive experiences, signaling possible depression. Without the pressure to meet the needs of a partner, you have more freedom to be in charge of your happiness and your finances!5. Greater Social Happiness
A study in the Journal of Marriage and Family on the same 2,700 American adults across six years found that married people had less contact with their parents and spent less time with their friends than those who stayed single. In turn, social satisfaction plays a huge role on health. One study found that a healthy social life may be as good for your long-term health as avoiding cigarettes. These researchers analyzed data from 148 studies, concluding that people with poor social connections had an average of a 50% higher chance of death in the study’s follow-up period of seven-and-a-half years. So this Valentine’s Day, celebrate all the health benefits you have as a single person. Connect with your friends and family, take a midday nap (uninterrupted), or enjoy some of your favorite things.
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]]>The post Can Champagne Help Prevent Dementia? appeared first on HUM Nutrition Blog.
]]>University of Reading 2013 Study: Champagne & Dementia
The first thing to notice is that this study already made headlines back in 2013, but now with the festive season approaching, it got a second life via social media and a pickup by mainstream media thereafter.
The study was published by researchers at the University of Reading. We don’t know who sponsored the study, but a sponsorship from the champagne industry as a potential bias seems unlikely since the study was peer reviewed. (This means that the research was scrutinized by scientists within the same field not associated with the study, thus bolstering credibility.)
The actual study looked at the possible effects of phenolic acids on memory in rats.
A phenolic acid is a type of plant-based chemical called a polyphenol. Phenolic acids are easily absorbed through the walls of your intestinal tract, and they may be beneficial to your health because they work as antioxidants that prevent cellular damage due to free-radical oxidation reactions.
Back to the study: 24 rats were divided into three groups of eight. Group one was given a daily dose of champagne, group two a non-champagne alcoholic drink (call it a Rattini) and group three a non-alcoholic drink, all over a six-week period.
To assess the rats’ memories, they were put in a maze filled with eight hidden treats. The rats were assessed on their ability to find treats, and a numeric value was given with eight being a perfect score. This was done before the six-week period of daily consumption began, and after the six weeks were completed (not during).
The bottom line? Rats that ingested daily champagne were better at remembering where treats were hidden when compared to the other groups. Rats that had champagne found on average five out of eight hidden treats, while the other rats found on average four out of eight hidden treats.
So should we believe the hype?
Though it appears the experiment was designed soundly, it nevertheless needs further studies to show a correlation between memory performance in humans and the consumption of champagne. In addition, 24 rats aren’t a large group of test subjects. Nevertheless, they have statistical significance. This study also appears to measure spatial memory rather than cognitive decline (a closer measure of dementia), which is why it’s always important to look at a study more closely before changing your habits based on headlines. We should also keep in mind that the study would need to be repeated on humans to show greater weight, but may well point us into the right scientific direction. In the meantime, drink in moderation, and also check out our study on weight loss. Teaser: Red wine consumption actually has a positive effect on waist size. P.S. If the study is ever replicated on humans, I’m happy to volunteer!
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