New Delhi, May 6 -- "My only regret in life is that I didn't drink enough champagne," the English economist and philosopher John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946) is reported to have said. As it turns out, there may be a surprising ounce of truth to that quote.

Picture this: a glass of champagne - bubbly, crisp and, for many, reserved for toasts and celebrations. Now imagine it being mentioned in the same sentence as a way to help prevent sudden cardiac arrest: a condition where the heart abruptly stops beating, killing tens of thousands each year, often without warning. Sounds too good to be true, right?

Yet, a Canadian study has uncovered a curious link. Using data from over half a million people in the health research database the UK Bioba...