5 health claims CHALLENGED

Is alcohol a no-no? Does chocolate help light up your sex life? Scientist and author r MERLIN THOMAS sorts the fact from fiction n

THE COMMON COLD CAN BE LIFE-THREATENING

TRUE!T It’sI’ theh one illnessill thath i impacts our lives more thanh any other. It spares none, is more contagious than the plague and there’s no vaccine. We get three to five colds a year, for a week to 10 days. That’s eight years off our productivity.

CHAMPAGNE GETS YOU DRUNK FASTER

T TRUE! Alcoholic drinks are more rapidly intoxicating when they’rethey bubbly. Champagne contains more dissolved gas. It fills the stomach faster and pushes alcohol to the intestines, where absorption is faster due to the large surface area.

CHOCOLATE CAN IMPROVE YOUR SEX LIFE

T TRUE & FALSE! Just pondering whether or not it does sowssow a saucy seed in our brains, with our mind nd doing the rest. Aphrodisiacs simply work because we want them to. Sexual desire is all in the noggin!

CAFFEINE MAKES YOU PERFORM BETTER

T TRUE & FALSE! Caffeine is a performance-enhancing drug.drug At th the same time, it can have sluggish effects on physical performance, delaying the time it takes to become exhausted. More than a couple can leave us tense, nervous and jittery.

AALCOHOL IS GOOD IN MODERATION

T TRUE & FALSE! It’s no secret our favourite poisonon can help us feel happy, relaxed and sociable. But it can also cause problems. Indulgence can contribute as much to poor health as obesity and smoking tend to. The Longevity List (Exisle Publishing, $34.99)