It's true: Guinness could be good for you

A heart attack happens when a blood clot lodges in one of the arteries supplying the heart. Many patients are prescribed aspirin, as this reduces the ability of these dangerous clots to form.

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin now say that Guinness can also reduce clotting activity in blood. The Wisconsin team tested the health-giving properties of the famous black beer by giving it to dogs that had arteries similar to people suffering from heart disease.

They believe that antioxidant compounds in Guinness, similar to those found in certain fruits and vegetables, slow down the build-up of harmful cholesterol on the artery walls.

The original "Guinness Is Good for You" slogan was created in the 1920s after people told the company that they felt good after drinking the beer. In England and Ireland, blood donors used to be given Guinness, based on the belief that it was high in iron. Pregnant women were at one time advised to drink Guinness; the present advice is against this. "We never make any medical claims for our drinks," Diageo, the company that now manufactures Guinness, told the BBC.