This has been an ongoing debate for quite some time now, so is it a fact or a myth that beer can really cure a hangover? While a Bloody Mary or cold beer may seem like the best way to cure what ails you have after a night of binge drinking, Chinese scientists say a better option is a swig of Sprite.
The sugary, lemon-lime flavored carbonated soft drink was rated the best of 57 beverages tested by a team of researchers at Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou. Sprite, the scientists concluded, helps break down acetaldehyde, a metabolite of ethanol, which causes the headaches, nausea and accompanying feelings of regret too much booze, beer or wine can cause. Many of the other drinks tested – including several varieties of herbal teas – actually made hangover symptoms worse, the scientists said.
But there is nothing like water! Whether or not beer or Sprite is the best cure for a hangover, once should constantly be hydrated. Alcohol dehydrates your body by being flushed out along with water in the form of urine. This water has to be replenished. If you don’t drink water while drinking alcohol, your body will use the water needed by other vital organs, including the brain. This is one reason why you experience headaches.
