Everything You've Been Told About The Cause of Hangovers Is Wrong

Have you ever had the advice of "take some electrolytes" ?  Well it turns out based on science, it's not that simple!

Wired magazine debunks some common "hangover cures" based on research done by Alcohol Hangover Research Group (AHRG), complied of the world’s hangover researchers.

Here's a few things they found:

1. Electrolyte levels of hydrated people with hangovers didn't differ much from baseline controls.
   
   
2. Acetaldehyde (toxins) levels are low when hangovers symptoms are the worst.
   
   
3. Glucose and fructose (sugar) doesn't help in the morning, in fact, one study shows high sugar levels can worsen the hangover.
   
   
4. Bourbon drinkers reported significantly worse hangovers than vodka drinkers.
   
   
5. A Korean team noticed that elevated levels of cytokines are associated with hangovers, essentially an inflammatory response from the body.
   
   
6. GABA (gamma aminobutyric acid), a neural mechanism in the brain, is thought to be associated with both drunkenness and hangovers because of its sensitiveness to ethanol.
   
   
7. Hovenia and Prickly Pear are reported to reliably help the symptoms of a hangover.

Read the full Wire Magazine story here, Everything Science Knows About Hangovers—And How to Cure Them.

 

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