Of all the hangover tips, drinking water to prevent dehydration seems the most logical.
However, a new study found no evidence to support claims that drinking plenty of water after a night of drinking would improve soreness the next day.
An international team of researchers, led by pharmacologist Marlou Mackus, from Utrecht University (Netherlands), analyzed data from 13 previous studies looking for a link between dehydration and alcohol consumption or between water consumption and the intensity of a hangover.
Is water good for hangovers? Studies show no!
Although there is no single cause of a hangover, alcohol has a diuretic effect on the body, increasing urine production and, implicitly, the risk of dehydration. Many people report feeling thirsty and dry in the morning after a night of drinking. It’s natural to think that replenishing lost fluids could be helpful against hangovers.
However, the data did not find clear evidence that dehydration and hangovers are directly linked. This means that replacing lost water won’t have a major impact on the worst aspects of a hangover.
“This analysis concludes that hangover and dehydration are two independent consequences of alcohol consumption,” the researchers write in the paper.
One study involved 826 college students, some of whom tried to ease their hangovers by drinking water. However, the effectiveness of water consumption in alleviating hangovers was very low.
Dehydration is just one of the symptoms associated with a hangover
In another study, 29 participants between the ages of 18 and 30 reported their hangover severity and level of thirst the day after drinking. It has been found that the feeling of dehydration does not last as long as other hangover symptoms.
“Although hangovers were relatively long-lasting, the effects of dehydration were usually mild and short-lived. “The data suggest that drinking water during or immediately after drinking alcohol has a modest effect in preventing next-day hangovers,” write Mackus and his team.
“Also, the amount of water consumed during a hangover was not significantly correlated with changes in hangover and thirst severity,” the researchers add, cited by Science Alert.
It is important to note that the studies reviewed were conducted on a relatively small number of participants and looked at different aspects of hangovers, not necessarily drinking water as a prevention method.
Although there are limitations, it appears that drinking a few glasses of water will not save anyone from a hangover, a finding that is also supported by previous studies that suggest that while water may counteract some of the effects of dehydration, it will not eliminate other hangover symptoms such as would be the headache.
“Taken together, the studies discussed suggest that drinking water during or immediately after the drinking session is not effective in preventing hangovers, and the amount of water consumed on the day of the hangover is not significantly related to changes in hangover severity,” the researchers write.
The research was published in magazine Alcohol.
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Source: www.descopera.ro
