When your head reminds you of the excesses of the day before. Does the quality of the drink have an impact on the pain? Are there any remedies approved by science? Can you prevent a hangover?
Since when do we have hangovers ( or “vesalgia” for scientists)? Probably for much longer than wine and other fermented drinks were invented. Indeed, 10 million years ago, our ancestors could have consumed fruit that had fallen to the ground, potentially rotten and therefore loaded with alcohol. However, if this consumption has an advantage due to the high calorie content of ethanol, with its 7kcal/g compared to only 4 for carbohydrates or proteins, it does not come without a counter-cost that our predecessors probably quickly realized: alcohol first makes you happy… then sick.
Indeed, our body is not well adapted for this consumption, and alcohol remains toxic, even if evolution has done what it could by stabilizing in our genome a mutation in the gene coding for the enzyme ADH4 (alcohol dehydrogenase 4) , making it 40 times more efficient in carrying out the first step of detoxification of alcohol.
This mutation does not, however, make us immune to the effects of alcohol.
Once swallowed, alcohol quickly passes through the stomach to reach the intestine, then the bloodstream (it is detected in the blood a few minutes after ingestion), then irrigating all our organs, including the brain (the first effects are then felt) and the liver (the second effects arrive), in a rather spectacular manner if the doses ingested are extreme: the body then signals the poisoning by nausea, vomiting… or even an alcoholic coma (and death) in the most serious cases.
But let’s return to the fortunately more common case of “moderate excess”. In the brain, first, alcohol will have different roles, including that of boosting the secretion of dopamine (hence the rather stimulating and euphoric effect in the first place), before the sedative effect takes over and causes the characteristic drowsiness phase. We then fall asleep in a rather restless sleep… and waking up painfully reminds us of the excesses of the day before, and the more or less severe intoxication that results . Because it is the liver that breaks down the alcohol, to transform ethanol into acetaldehyde then into acetate, these two compounds unfortunately still remaining toxic for our body. However, alcohol also disrupts the production of vasopressin, an antidiuretic hormone that regulates kidney activity, which is actually a good thing, because you have to urinate to eliminate all these toxins: the body then uses water, a lot of water to eliminate the alcohol… leading to dehydration, which is one of the causes of migraines.
Add to this the vasodilatory effect of alcohol (with that slight sensation of “hot flash” after the first few sips, which is a real trap, because once the deceptive sensation has passed, the body cools down even faster), as well as the disruption of blood sugar, the secretion of neurotransmitters and the triggering of an inflammatory response, all effects which contribute to headaches , without the mechanisms always being very clear.
On this subject, let’s dispel the myths: yes, even very good wines give you a hangover. Yes, even “natural” wines. Because no, sulfur is not responsible, but alcohol is. Or only in certain people who are particularly sensitive to sulfites; but others will be more sensitive to histamines and other biogenic amines, which some wines that are not very sulfited contain in larger quantities …
Finally, in the event of unavoidable excess, are there any relief strategies? Foods that can help? Medications? Only diet seems to be recommended (to lighten the liver) and rehydration using your best winter herbal teas, even if it won’t work miracles on your headache . As for the parapharmacy market, although it may be flooded with “anti-hangover” formulas (based on vitamins supposed to boost liver activity or probiotics supposed to “capture” alcohol before it enters the bloodstream), no scientific study worthy of the name has been able to prove the effectiveness of these pills. There is only paracetamol or ibuprofen left to relieve pain. Be careful, however, of the hepatotoxic effects of these molecules: it is not a question of finishing off your liver. And above all, avoid the temptation to treat like a sore with another drink of alcohol, because while the anesthetic and analgesic effect may give the impression of temporarily relieving your head pain, it will only be to see it resurface with renewed vigor later!
Author Bio: Christophe Lavelle is a Researcher in Molecular Biophysics, Epigenetics and Nutrition, CNRS UMR 7196, Inserm U1154 at the National Museum of Natural History (MNHN)