Water intake during drinking does not alleviate hangover symptoms.

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology
• Toxicology
• Human Physiology

Background:

• Hangovers cause significant impairment and discomfort.
• Empirical evidence suggests water intake during alcohol consumption may reduce hangover symptoms, but lacks scientific verification.
• Understanding the physiological impact of water as a 'chaser' is crucial for managing alcohol's effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if drinking water intermittently during alcohol consumption alters ethanol and acetaldehyde kinetics.
• To determine if this practice alleviates hangover symptoms.
• To assess the impact on psychomotor function and subjective well-being the following day.

Main Methods:

• A randomized 2x2 crossover study involving 13 healthy males.
• Participants consumed sake with or without intermittent water intake over 1 hour.
• Measured breath ethanol/acetaldehyde, performed psychomotor tests (DSST), and assessed subjective symptoms (VAS).

Main Results:

• No significant differences were found in exhaled ethanol and acetaldehyde kinetics between the control and water groups.
• Psychomotor function, assessed by DSST scores, showed no variation between groups.
• Subjective hangover symptoms, including headache and nausea, were similar in both groups.

Conclusions:

• Intermittent water consumption during alcohol intake does not significantly affect ethanol disposition.
• The practice did not demonstrate a measurable impact on hangover symptom severity.
• This study suggests drinking water between alcoholic beverages is not an effective strategy for mitigating hangovers.