According to The Independent, a small group of researchers at Sun Yat-Sen University have finally tracked down the ever-elusive cure for pounding headaches, seemingly nonstop vomiting and profuse sweating after a night of drinking alcohol. While the only guaranteed way to avoid a hangover is to properly hydrate before drinking, there are some good news!
Scientists believe that hangover symptoms are not directly caused by the large amount of alcohol in your system, but rather the stress put on the body as it attempts to process the consumed alcohol, as the liver gradually “metabolizes the ethanol into acetaldehyde through an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH)” and “breaks it down into acetate by aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH).” Researchers had decided to analyze the effects of some fifty-seven different beverages, including different forms of herbal infusions, teas, as well as carbonated beverages and their subsequent effects on aiding the processing of alcohol in the body.
After what must have been a pretty amusing binge-drinking session the researchers came to a surprising conclusion. Among all of the beverages tested, evidence shows that your best bet to fighting off a hangover is Sprite. While some forms of herbal tea offered some beneficial effects, a carbonated drink known as Xue bi (Sprite in Britain) actually sped up the work of alcohol processing enzymes. Take that, Bloomberg.
