Moderate Champagne consumption promotes an acute improvement in acute endothelial-independent vascular function in healthy human volunteers

Epidemiological studies have suggested an inverse correlation between red wine consumption and the incidence of CVD. However, Champagnewine has not been fully investigated for its cardioprotective potential. In order to assess whether acute and moderate Champagne wine consumptionis capable of modulating vascular function, we performed a randomised, placebo-controlled, cross-over intervention trial. We show that consumptionof Champagne wine, but not a control matched for alcohol, carbohydrate and fruit-derived acid content, induced an acute change in endothelium-independent vasodilatation at 4 and 8 h post-consumption. Although both Champagne wine and the control also induced an increase inendothelium-dependent vascular reactivity at 4 h, there was no significant difference between the vascular effects induced by Champagne orthe control at any time point. These effects were accompanied by an acute decrease in the concentration of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-9),a significant decrease in plasma levels of oxidising species and an increase in urinary excretion of a number of phenolic metabolites. In particular,the mean total excretion of hippuric acid, protocatechuic acid and isoferulic acid were all significantly greater following the Champagne wineintervention compared with the control intervention. Our data suggest that a daily moderate consumption of Champagne wine may improve vascularperformance via the delivery of phenolic constituents capable of improving NO bioavailability and reducing matrix metalloproteinase activity.