Science Discovers Ultimate Hangover Cure

We know, it’s only Monday and far too soon to be even day dreaming of sipping on a refreshing gin cocktail, but we figure you’ll appreciate this news. There’s a new hangover preventative on the block. It’s natural, it’s always been right under your nose and it’s something we have no qualms whatsoever in trying if it helps to lessen the headache after a night on the tiles: pears.

Before we continue, let it be stressed that you won’t, unfortunately, be able to?find yourself in the horrors and tuck into a bag of the juicy fruits and suddenly feel amazing; they don’t cure it after the damage has been done, they just help to prevent it or at least lessen the blow of a few too many proseccos.

Carried out by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation down under, it was found in a preliminary study that drinking 7.4 ounces or 220 mL of pear juice before a night out would significantly reduce the effects of the following morning’s hangover.

If it sounds to good to be true that’s probably because it comes with a small condition: the multi-pack discounted pears you stock up on in your nearest supermarket won’t do, for this study was performed only with Asian pears which resemble the aesthetic of an apple more so than the pears we’re used to. Get familiar with Ireland’s best Asian markets, however, and your Saturday night antics just might have found their BFF.

Not only do pears relieve things like constipation and reduce inflammation, the Asian pears in particular contain an enzyme that speed up alcohol metabolism and reduce alcohol absorption, both of which contribute to a happier head the morning after. What’s more, according to Professor Manny Noakes, participants who were tested in this experiment also noticed a reduction in their blood acetaldehyde levels when they consumed the juice or the fruit itself prior to consuming alcohol. You might not be familiar with the official term but according to the researchers, blood acetaldehyde is the metabolite that’s mostly responsible for hangover symptoms.

Through their experiments, the researchers found that hangover severity was reduced by 16 percent to 21 percent in the pear juice group when compared to the placebo drink group with the most notable effect seen between the groups’ ability to concentrate.

Who’s for an Asian pear?