What's The Secret To Dodging Hangovers? - BBC Future

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Getty Images Fermentation produces toxic by-products that also give a drink its colour. As a rule of thumb, the clearer your drink, the clearer your head in the morning (Credit: Getty Images)Getty Images
Fermentation produces toxic by-products that also give a drink its colour. As a rule of thumb, the clearer your drink, the clearer your head in the morning (Credit: Getty Images)
The evidence to date suggests dehydration plays only a minor role in hangovers

Even the cause of the hangover had been somewhat mysterious. Until recently, the finger of blame had pointed at dehydration – alcohol was thought to make us pee more, so we lose fluids – yet the evidence to date suggests it plays only a minor role. Instead, it’s probably due to the chemistry of the drinks. Fermentation can result in toxic by-products called “congeners” that slightly poison our tissue. These chemicals often give the drink a darker colour, and it’s thought to be the reason that whisky can leave you feeling rougher than crystal clear vodka. (It may also explain why mixing your drinks is such a bad idea, since the more varieties of booze you try, the more varied the cocktail of congeners you are ingesting).

A few hours after a binge, the alcohol itself breaks down into acetaldehyde and, later, acetate. These slightly noxious “metabolites” trigger sickness, sweating, and a racing pulse. The alcohol and its by-products also play havoc with the immune system and provoke inflammation. “When we have a bad hangover, we have that puffy feeling – that’s to do with the inflammation,” says Stephens. In the brain, that inflammation could also contribute to a headache, and combined with low blood sugar and lack of sleep, it may lead to the listlessness and foul mood that often accompanies the physical pain.

23% of people claim to never suffer from hangovers, even when they drink very heavily

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