Dr. No O2

Canadian researchers report in a recent issue of the British Medical Journal that martinis have more antioxidant power when shaken, not stirred. Studies indicate antioxidants can help fight diseases such as cancer and heart disease by offsetting the harm oxygen does to cells as people age.

In the martini study, scientists from the University of Western Ontario tested seven shaken martinis, six stirred martinis and five martinis with air bubbled through them. They added hydrogen peroxide to the drinks--prepared traditionally with two parts gin to one part vermouth--to simulate oxygen’s action in the body, and investigated how each drink reacted with the chemical. The martini’s signature olive, which contains the antioxidant vitamin E, was not included in the study.

Shaken martinis were twice as good at neutralizing the chemical than the stirred mixtures, the researchers found. Bubbling air through the mixture gave results similar to those of shaken martinis, indicating that it is probably the aeration from vigorous shaking that brings the benefit, they said.

Super-spy James Bond--who has been ordering shaken martinis for decades--was unavailable for comment, but nutritionist Beckie Moore said that martinis actually contain minimal amounts of the disease-fighting compounds. “We suggest [he] go for the fruits and vegetables.”