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New Year’s Eve is over, and we all drunk a lot of bubbly that night. Now here’s an excuse to pop the cork again: champagne turns out to be healthy, so keep drinking! Cheers!

British academics have found that champagne is actually good for your heart. It is packed with polyphenols – plant chemicals thought to widen the blood vessels, easing the strain on your heart and brain. Researchers believe the health benefits aren't limited to the expensive stuff, but are also found in cheaper alternatives, such as cava and prosecco. The Reading University study builds on earlier findings that two glasses of red wine a day help keep heart and circulatory problems at bay. Polyphenols are believed to boost the levels of nitric oxide in the blood, which then widens the blood vessels. They are found in relatively high levels in red wine, but not in white. Champagne, however, is most commonly made from a blend of red grape varieties pinot meunier or pinot noir and white chardonnay. Polyphenols are also found in tea, olive oil, onions, leeks, broccoli and blueberries.