There's a seemingly endless variety of traditional hangover cures, but researchers at Australia's CSIRO now claim to have uncovered one that actually works.
Drinking pear juice before a night of heavy drinking could reduce the effects of a hangover, research suggests.
Australian government scientists found that for those suffering the effects of the night before, the fruit significantly increased concentration.
They also reduced memory loss and sensitivity to light and sound and even slightly decreased the alcohol levels present in the blood.
Drinking 220ml of pear juice before having alcohol has been found to effectively limit the effects of hangover, and lower the levels of alcohol in people’s blood. Eating the pears themselves could produce similar effect.
Lead researcher Manny Noakes says the Asian pears act on the key enzymes involved in alcohol metabolism, alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH).
"Overall hangover severity, as measured by a 14 item hangover severity scale, was significantly reduced in the Korean (Asian) pear group compared with those having a placebo drink, with the most pronounced effect seen on the specific symptom of 'trouble concentrating'", Noakes said.
Importantly, the hangover will only be avoided if the pear juice was consumed before the alcohol, so downing the juice after a big night out won't help.
“The effect was only demonstrated if pears were consumed before alcohol consumption,” says Noakes. “There is no evidence that you can consume pears after drinking and avoid a hangover. And remember, the very best way to not get a hangover is to not drink in the first place.”
The study is only a preliminary scoping exercise with the results still to be finalized.
Further research is needed to determine whether the hangover-preventing capabilities extend to other pear varieties as the studies have so far only involved the Asian pear.
