From whiskey to wine… these are the drinks that give you the WORST hangovers
It may not be how much you drink, but what you’re drinking that’s causing that throbbing head
MOST of us will be familiar with the groggy feeling you get after a heavy night of boozing.
The throbbing head, the dry mouth and the persistent nausea that no amount of carb-loading will get rid of.
If you're British, drinking is always well and truly on the cards, meaning mornings can be a serious pain.
But if you want to avoid the dreaded hangover, it may be well worth your while to know that it’s not necessarily how much you drink — but rather what you’re throwing back that’s causing the issue.
All types of alcohol are variations of the chemical ethanol, and the liver and brain break this down the same way.
However, what causes the most pain post-boozing is the ingredients in your tipple of choice — such as sugar and other preservatives.
Yoko Inoue, who studied holistic nutrition and is the founder of a superfood cafe, told : “When we digest alcohol, the body has to convert it to acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde can be a burden in the system and cause unpleasant symptoms.
“Vodka has the least ‘hangover causing’ toxins in them, especially congeners compared to other dark liquors like scotch and whisky.
“So when selecting a drink, choose cleaner options and space out drinks with extra glasses of water.”
When it comes to the dreaded throbbing head, dehydration is largely to blame.
For those who are feeling a little nauseous after a big night out, too much alcohol plays with your stomach lining and causes your gut to produce too much gastric acid, among other things.
But according to Yoko, drinks that are higher in congeners (think red wine, brandy and whisky) tend to make a hangover even worse - because they can disrupt your PH levels.
She added: “Preservatives in wine called sulphites and congeners in spirit are chemical compounds you need to watch out for.
“Common congeners include amines, amides, acetones, polyphenols and histamine.”
Congeners stem from the ageing process wine, whisky and brandy all go through, but can also be used as colour or flavour enhancers that are added to spirits.
One congener, which may stand out as being a little worse than others, is methanol.
Booze lovers' essentials
Just like ethanol, only more poisonous, there is often too much of it in brandy, port and even some wines.
“It just washes round in your body until it is eventually converted to formaldehyde and formic acid, which are neurotoxins,” Roger Corder, author of the Wine Diet and Professor of Barts and the London School of Medicine told .
“These will make you feel poorly. Methanol is deemed safe if below 200mg a litre.
“But sometimes it’s over that level.”
But what about champagne?
The problem with bubbles is how it is often drunk quickly - and usually on an empty stomach.
Bubbles are often connected to hangovers because of the carbon dioxide that is pumped into the bottle to cause the fizz.
This causes the alcohol to be quickly absorbed into the blood stream, faster than other drinks.
“You get a faster rate of absorption, higher blood alcohol levels — and brain levels — if you drink champagne as opposed to something non-carbonated,” Boris Tabakoff, pharmacology professor at the University of Colorado, said.
“Around two thirds of people get drunker faster when they drink champagne, or other carbonated drinks like Prosecco or Cava.”
But while it pays to keep your drinks in check, there are also cheats you can try before the night out to avoid the hangover.
Yoko advised: “Foods like broccoli, kale, lemon, turmeric, beetroot are great for your liver.
“Also, herbs such as milk thistle, dandelion, Chanca piedra, burdock and schisandra berries should be included in your diet to assist with the liver function.”
Vodka, lime and soda anyone?
