More misleading “journalism” from our corporate media. Susan Rinkunas has the gory details.
A 2013 U.K. study inexplicably resurfaced on social media this weekend, leading to numerous gleeful headlines about Champagne being good for memory and protective for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Yet the study in question was not even an observational one, which would have looked at participants’ alcohol consumption over time and compared it with dementia diagnoses. No, it was conducted on rats. The researchers found that rodents given a rodent-size serving of Champagne daily for six weeks were ever-so-slightly better at finding a treat in a maze than rats given another alcoholic beverage or a drink with no booze. Seriously, that’s it.
Yep. That’s the evidence. Yet, here’s the screaming headline from People Magazine Online: “Pop Some Bottles! Drinking Champagne Weekly May Help Prevent Dementia.”
The study shows nothing of the sort and the author’s of the study draw no such conclusion. Not only do we not know if this applies to humans, we surely don’t know if it would help prevent dementia. The study apparently doesn’t even address the issue of dementia. This is a case of hack writers (I hesitate to call them journalists) just making stuff up to serve as click bait.
It really is disheartening to witness how far the profession of journalism has fallen. But who can blame them. We live in a society in which a carnival barker and an arrogant, narcissistic surgeon turned preacher are considered presidential timber.
Drink sparkling wine by all means but don’t expect it to cure disease.
Exploring the Philosophy of Food and Wine 