[CTRL] Hangover Cures From The Land O' Science

[William Shannon]

http://www.whitleysworld.com/news122900a.html
12/29/00: HOLIDAY HANGOVER CURES FROM THE LAND OF SCIENCEtext version
Just in time for New Year’s Eve, the London Science Museum has a new exhibit
on hangover cures. It turns out that the headache and flu-like feelings are
caused by dehydration, despite the fact that you’ve been drinking all night,
because alcohol removes precious water from the body’s cells. First: Eat a
big meal before the party and eat while you drink. This slows down the rate
of alcohol absorption by the body. This works best if the foods you eat
contain plenty of fat, so wait until after New Year’s Eve to begin your
annual diet. Fat is digested slowly, so it will stay in the stomach and
protect it from the irritating effects of alcohol. If you don’t have time to
eat a meal, drink a glass of milk before you go.
Second: Take lots of vitamin B6 before and after drinking. This can reduce
the severity of a hangover by half, although scientists don’t know why it
works.
Third: Stick to white drinks like white wine, vodka and gin, because the
fewer additions to the pure spirits, the less chance for a hangover.
Substances called congeners that are found in red wine and colored liquors
magnify the effects of a hangover. Mixed drinks like Brandy Alexanders are a
killer.
Fourth: Have a glass of water between each alcoholic drink, but avoid
carbonated sodas because they increase the amount of alcohol that gets into
the blood stream. This is why people who stop at a couple of drinks, then
stick to soda for the rest of the evening, may find that this strategy
doesn’t help. Drinking lots of water along with the alcohol stops your brain
from shrinking so much, which is a common side-effect of alcohol consumption.
Fifth: After you get home, drink lots of water and take a vitamin C, which
speeds up the metabolism of liquor by the liver. You might also drink a
sports drink like Gatorade, which replaces lost electrolytes and body sugars.
Sixth: The next day, if the above preventatives didn’t work, don’t believe
the old advice about "the hair of the dog." Drinking more alcohol only puts
off the inevitable reactions. Along with the aspirin, take more vitamin C.
Eat eggs, because they contain cysteine, a substance that cleans out the
destructive chemicals that build up in your liver.
Good luck and Happy New Year!
For more details from BBC Health, click here.