We all know that the severity of a hangover is mainly due to the amount of alcohol we ingest.
But have you ever wondered why you feel so much worse the morning after trying a few Merlots and Malbecs compared to, say, vodka?
Scientists believe they have discovered the reason why certain drinks can cause so much agony the next day.
For those of us who plan to ring in the New Year with a drink, the theory is that the darker the drink, the worse the hangover.
“Different drinks contain different amounts of substances called ‘congeners,'” said Dr. Sally Adams, who researches the effects of alcohol at the University of Birmingham.
‘They are added during the fermentation process to improve the flavor, aroma and color of a drink.
“A small body of evidence suggests that drinks with a higher content of congeners (e.g., spirits and red wine) may cause a more severe hangover compared to drinks with fewer congeners (e.g., gin, vodka).”
Studies have also suggested that vodka and beer contain the least.
Have you ever wondered why you feel so much worse the morning after trying a few Merlots and Malbecs compared to, say, vodka?
A 2009 paper published in the journal Nature found that bourbon contains 37 times more congeners than vodka.
Another 2010 study found that bourbon can cause worse hangovers than vodka.
The researchers, from Brown University in Massachusetts, asked participants to drink cola, vodka or decaffeinated bourbon and then asked them questions about their hangover.
Those who drank bourbon had more severe symptoms than those who drank vodka.
But another, far away most recent studyhas also discovered the reason why red wine in particular is more likely to leave you with a nasty hangover.
According to American scientists, a compound called quercetin, which is abundant in red wines, can prevent the body from processing alcohol properly.
Red wine has more quercetin because whole grapes are used, including the skin; The skin and seeds are removed from white wine.
Quercetin is also more abundant in grapes exposed to more sunlight, researchers at the University of California said.
The NHS recommends that people drink no more than 14 “units” of alcohol (around six glasses of wine or pints of beer) per week.
This means that cheaper red wine might actually be better for avoiding hangovers because cheaper grape varieties are grown on vines with large canopies and lots of leaves so they don’t get as much sun.
“If you’re willing to take a risk, look for a lighter, cheaper red wine,” said Professor Andrew Waterhouse, an expert in oenology and Apramita Devi, a postdoctoral researcher in food sciences. The conversation.
Scientists don’t know exactly how quercetin directly affects people, but they believe it blocks an enzyme. needed to break down alcohol in the body.
“First, alcohol is converted to the compound acetaldehyde (in the liver),” they said.
“The enzyme ALDH then converts acetaldehyde into acetate, a common and harmless substance.”
Once this happens, it can be eliminated from the body as waste.
Quercetin, however, prevents acetaldehyde from being converted to acetate, so it remains in the body, causing inflammation and headaches.
“Our enzymatic tests suggest that quercetin… alters alcohol metabolism in the body,” they added.
For those of us who plan to ring in the New Year with a drink, the theory is that the darker the drink, the worse the hangover.
Studies have previously suggested that histamine, a more common ingredient in red wine than white or rosé, may be to blame for red wine headaches, which can appear half an hour after drinking even small amounts.
Histamine can dilate blood vessels in the body, which can cause a headache. But the research is limited.
Beer has a lower alcohol content than wine, on average 4.4 percent and 13 percent, respectively. Spirits are even higher, at 40 percent.
One unit of alcohol (about one shot or half a pint of a lower strength beer) takes the average adult around an hour to process, the NHS says.
The health service recommends that people drink no more than 14 “units” of alcohol (around six glasses of wine or pints of beer) per week.
Meanwhile, the United States says women should drink no more than seven standard drinks a week and men can have 14..
All scientists agree that excessive alcohol consumption can permanently damage the liver, cause a variety of cancers, and increase blood pressure.
It puts pressure on the heart muscle and can lead to cardiovascular disease (CVD), increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Excessive alcohol consumption, sometimes defined by consuming five drinks in two hours, can cause the heart to beat irregularly, triggering symptoms including shortness of breath, tiredness and increased blood pressure.
The World Health Organization estimates that alcohol kills three million people worldwide each year.