The 1920's campaign slogan has proven to be true

A pint a day of Guinness may even be as affective as a low dose of aspirin in preventing heart clots that increase the risk of a heart attack.

Guinness was told to stop using the long-running slogan decades ago, and the firm still does not claim any health benefits for the drinking.

The Wisconsin researchers tested the health-giving properties of Guinness against lager by giving it to dogs who had narrowed arteries, similar to those found in patients with heart disease.

They found those given Guinness had reduced clotting, but not those given lager.

The researchers told the American Heart Association in Orlando, Florida, that the biggest benefit they saw was from 24 fluid ounces of Guinness – just over a pint – drank at mealtimes.

They believe the “antioxidant compounds’ found in Guinness, similar to those found in some fruits and vegetables, are responsible for the health benefits because they slow the deposit of damaging cholesterol on the artery walls.

A spokesman for Brewing Research International said, ‘We already know that most of the clotting effects are due to the alcohol itself, rather than any other ingredients.
It is possible that there is an extra effect due to the antioxidants in Guinness - but I would like to see this research repeated.’

In England, patients used to be given Guinness after an operation, as were blood donors, based on the belief that it was high in iron.

Pregnant women and nursing mothers were once advised to drink Guinness - the present advice is against this, as with all alcoholic drinks.