December 29, 2002 -- TheLondon Sunday Times

The morning after.  It takes more than water to cure a hangover. Sally Brown suggests ways to get back on track

A hangover is a complex condition. We’re told it’s mainly caused by dehydration, because alcohol has a diuretic effect on the body. But who hasn’t staggered in, downed two pints of water — and still woken up feeling terrible?

"A review of scientific studies on hangovers concluded that hydration attenuates, but doesn’t relieve, hangover symptoms," says the dietician Lyndel Costain. "In other words, drinking lots of water will make a difference, but it won’t stave off a hangover completely."

And don’t we know it. If only we woke up simply feeling thirsty after a night on the booze... Instead, we feel nauseous, shaky, tired and irritable, and invariably have a thumping headache.

Dehydration is partly the cause of that splitting headache: your brain cells actually shrink as they lose water. But it’s also due to the loss of electrolytes and essential salts such as potassium and sodium that maintain nerve and muscle function.

"Even a slight electrolyte imbalance can leave you feeling tired, weak and headachy," says Costain.

But the strangest symptom is what committed drinkers call "the fear" — emotional highs and lows combined with a dose of paranoia, caused by very low blood sugar. Alcohol attacks the body’s store of glycogen, an important energy source kept in the liver. You wake up with very low blood-sugar levels, and it leaves you feeling both starving and nauseous. But it can also affect your concentration and emotional stability. "The brain uses glycogen for fuel, so low levels will affect how it functions," says Costain. "Plus, studies using brain scans have shown that a hangover causes a depression in the cortex that co-ordinates motor and auditory responses. That could be why work feels so much harder."

Thankfully, there is a certain amount you can do to relieve the symptoms. Light-coloured drinks contain fewer congeners (toxic by-products of the distillation process) than darker drinks. The morning after, medical experts recommend drinking lots of water, taking a nonaspirin painkiller such as ibuprofen, eating carbohydrates for energy, and leaving at least 48 hours between "I’ll never drink again!" and the inevitable "Well, maybe just one glass of wine..."

HANGOVER CURES

Sob’r-K

The claim: "A natural form of ‘superactivated’ carbon that soaks up the alcohol and filters it out of your body" (£11.50 plus £8 shipping for 60 pills.

The expert’s view: "Activated charcoal is used in hospitals to treat poison victims. It absorbs the poison, which then passes out through the stools. But the relatively tiny amount here is unlikely to have any effect."

The tester’s comments: "Wondrous. Nothing made up for the chronic lack of sleep, but I didn’t feel hungover at all."

Farmacia Urban Healing Hangover Kit

The claim: "Protects the liver, increasing your body’s ability to detox." Includes milk-thistle tincture, 1,000mg of vitamin C, dandelion, peppermint and marshmallow extracts (£14; 0870 111 8123).

The expert’s view: "Studies suggest milk thistle helps alcoholic liver disease. But it needs to be taken regularly, and there’s no evidence it helps hangovers. The vitamin C, however, will fight free radicals."

The tester’s comments: "The milk thistle was so vile I almost preferred to be hungover. The vitamin C drink was fine, but I still felt awful until I took a Nurofen and ate some crisps."

Silicol gel

The claim: "Has absorbent properties that neutralise excess acidity, absorb toxins, irritants and cell residues and carry them safely out of the body" (£6.99 for 200ml, from Holland & Barrett).

The expert’s view: " It could slow down the rate of alcohol absorption, which may reduce the severity of a hangover."

The tester’s comments: "Unpleasant oily taste and texture. I didn’t have a hangover the next morning, so perhaps it works."

Fried breakfast

The claim: "Hardened drinkers swear by the full English fry-up" (about £4).

The expert’s view: "You’re replacing lost salts and providing carbohydrate to restore blood sugar. Eggs contain cysteine, an amino acid that fights toxins, but I doubt one or two would make any difference."

The tester’s comments: "Felt better, but very lethargic."

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