Is Sprite better than a Bloody Mary?

Like the search for the Holy Grail, the perfect hangover cure seems to exist only in legend. We all know the “did-I-get-run-over-by a bus” sensation that follows a night of partying. A group of researchers from China published a study that claims to have found the magical elixir to dismiss the hangover cloud. It goes by the name of “Sprite.” A can of pop is the solution to hangovers? I am always skeptical of things that seem too good to be true, so I decided to delve a little deeper into the subject.

There are a number of news articles that seem to be impressed with the results obtained in the Sprite study. Here is the link to a news article of Sprite as a hangover cure: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/12/30/sprite-to-cure-hangovers_n_4518990.html. I went to the website and read through the actual study. The study hypothesized that certain beverages can boost ALDH, a hangover-slaying enzyme. It turns out that Club Soda was twice as effective as Sprite in boosting ALDH. I’m not sure why Club Soda doesn’t get any attention, but I’m assuming it’s because Sprite is so much sexier. Furthermore, the study wasn’t performed on human subjects it was done in petri dishes, so the results are based entirely on an untested assumption that boosting ALDH can cure hangovers in humans. Sprite doesn’t contain any magic ingredients; it’s pretty much bubbly water, with corn syrup and artificial flavors.

A research university in China examined 58 different drinks offered in a Chinese grocery store. There was a hodgepodge (I used a thesaurus) of different kinds of tea of that list.  They focused on two enzymes that help breakdown alcohol. Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) turns the alcohol into acetaldehyde, which causes nausea, headaches, and the other symptoms of a hangover. Next, acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) breaks down the acetaldehyde and helps you recover from your hangover. The researchers wanted to find the drinks that would accelerate the ALDH’s breakdown of acetaldehyde, and lead to less of a hangover. Here is the link to the actual study for those interested: http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2013/fo/c3fo60282f#!divAbstract.

I have to give credit to the study, which actually tried to apply science to the field of hangovers. However, this study does not provide any evidence that club soda or Sprite is a cure for hangovers. My Bill Nye moment; for enzymes to work faster, there needs to be a catalyst, such as a vitamin or an electrolyte. There are no catalysts in either soda water or Sprite. In the end, I don’t think drinking Sprite or any other brand of pop is going to help your morning after. I would suggest sticking with a Bloody Mary.