Cider: It's officially good for you.

Written by: Rosie Davenport

Researchers at the University of Glasgow have found that some ciders can be good for you as they contain high levels of phenolics - antioxidants linked to protection against strokes, heart disease and cancer.

The study looked at a number of ciders with some containing forty times the amount of "phenolics" than others.

Serena Marks, who heads up the cider research at the University of Glasgow said: "Unit for unit, the top cider had levels of phenolics comparable to red wine.

"The cider with the highest levels of phenolics had 18 times more phenolics than clear apple juice and 7 times more phenolics than cloudy apple juice."

The next stage in the research is to analyse how humans absorb these phenolics.

Volunteers have been drinking doses of cider (where do I apply? ed) in a controlled environment and samples of their blood and urine taken to measure the quantity of phenolics absorbed into the body.

The results of these trials are currently being analysed.

Marks added: "The more information we can get about phenolics in cider and what happens to them in the body, the more chance we have of positively influencing the phenolic content of English cider, for example, helping manufacturers chose production processes that leave a higher levels of phenolic in the final product.

"This could mean that drinking a glass of cider is not only enjoyable, but a great way for people to naturally increase the amount of phenolics in their diet."

The research is part of a project funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the National Association of Cider Makers.