Hangover prevention is better than cure

Medicines and other dietary supplements are useless: the only way to avoid hangovers after a night too watered remain abstinence or moderation, warn the authors of a study published in the British edition of the "British Medical Journal "(BMJ), traditionally devoted to the publication of unusual or fanciful work.
Max Pittler of the Peninsular Medical School of the University of Exeter University, and his colleagues have surfed the Internet, reviewed the medical databases and contacted experts in search of rigorous scientific studies analyzing the effectiveness remedies against nausea and other characteristics of the headache hangover.

Results of their investigations, "a plethora of anti-hangover treatment is available on the Internet", British researchers find. Some appear relatively traditional (coffee, hot bath or shower, conventional analgesics), others offer cure evil with evil (with a Bloody Mary, for example) or advocate the consumption of different foods (bananas, cabbage, egg, fruit juice, honey, green tea, pizza ...). Are usually offered different recipes based on olive oil, raw egg yolk, ketchup, Tabasco and lemon juice, the authors report.

Finally, the British researchers have identified eight "serious" studies, showing few "low reliability of the Internet for information in the field of health," they said. The works were selected in eight different substances including beta-blockers used in the treatment of migraine background, an antiemetic, an analgesic class of anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), fructose and glucose, but also four supplements different food (respectively based borage, artichoke, prickly pear, and yeast).

Most of these studies did not demonstrate a beneficial effect of the products tested, although encouraging results have been obtained for borage, yeast and NSAIDs evaluated, British researchers found that after driving further analysis.

The available data do not prove conclusively that a preventive or curative strategies implemented in the treatment of a hangover is effective or among complementary approaches or the most conventional methods, conclude they.

"The most effective way to avoid the symptoms of hangover means remains to practice abstinence or moderation," they add.