It seems James Bond was right in ordering his Martinis shaken, not stirred.

His good health, radiant looks and ability to maintain an active lifestyle could be, at least in part, down to his favourite tipple, researchers from Canada`s University of Western Ontario said…

Their findings, published in the British Medical Journal, show 007`s shaken Martinis contain stronger antioxidant properties to remove harmful substances from the blood and body than the stirred variety.

“Shaken martinis have a superior antioxidant activity than those that are stirred, but the reason for this is not clear,“ the research paper said.

It added that the study had not taken into account the olives that James Bond is served with his drinks.

Both shaken and stirred Martini contains higher levels of antioxidants than Sauvignon Blanc wine and whisky.

Bond`s cocktail, specified in Ian Fleming`s novel Casino Royale, called for three measures of Gordon`s gin, a measure of vodka and a half-measure of Kina Lillet vermouth.

–Copyright 1999 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republished with permission.