Just in time for the festive season, champagne is suggested as a heart healthy drink. By increasing the availability of nitric oxide, champagne can improve blood flow and thus decrease blood pressure, the researchers claim. The substance that produces this effect is polyphenols, the same substance that has given wine a heart-healthy rumour. Regardless of the positive effects, the suggested two glasses of champagne a day might have a detrimental effect on the body that can overshadow any potential positive effect. Moderate to heavy alcohol consumption (over three drinks a week), increases the risk of breast cancer reoccurrence according to another study. Until larger studies can backup the claim that heavy drinking (14 glasses of champagnea week) is beneficial for our health, alcohol should not be consumed on regular basis or in large quantities.
Dr. Nathan Grills, of Australia’s leading Monash University argues in his research on Santa “Santa Claus: A public health pariah?” that the jolly Christmas figure is promoting unhealthy habits to children. He believes that the all the smoking, drinking (and drink-driving), unhealthy eating, obesity and the coughing and sneezing is sending out a bad message to children. Santa is a powerful marketing tool that is widely accepted around the world, and originates on the idea of St. Nicholas – that is celebrated on December the 5th-6th in Europe. St. Nicholas was a modest man known as the Nicholas the Wonderworker, and he left gifts in poor peoples shoes. This is far away from the Santa we see today, smoking and drinking, visibly obese and that is more or less immobile and not quite as modest.