Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Hangover-free booze?

Via io9.com:
The drinks with the added oxygen content sobered people up 20-30 minutes faster, under the influence of the rather potent alcohol they used for the trials. 20% alcohol is around the strength of fortified wine, soju, or a very strong mixed drink, so while shaving a half hour off your drunken tomfoolery might not seem a great deal, when you're trying to fall asleep at night and combating the spins, you'll appreciate it.

The researchers also asked what would change if someone were to drink multiple oxygen-enriched drinks over the course of the night. Would there be a cumulative effect? Again, the answer was yes: People who drank oxygenated booze had less severe and fewer hangovers than people who drank the non-fizzy stuff.
I haven't seen the actual data, but 25ppm oxygen (the highest amount they used, according to the abstract) seems very low to be having a biological effect, but they suggest that having oxygen in the beverage the liver enzymes that deal with alcohol - and require oxygen - work more efficiently. I also wonder if, in a non-controlled scenario, the quick sobering effect would be dampened by consumers drinking more and more to maintain their buzz.


3 comments:

AC said...

If that's the mechanism, it seems like an inefficient way to get oxygen. Why not just breathe a bit of pure oxygen at the end of the night? Having to absorb it from your gut makes as much sense as inhaling your beer.

Anonymous said...

It might make vague sense when you consider that the majority of the blood going to the liver is venous blood from the digestive system.

Kamel said...

Hmm... didn't someone around here try inhaling alcohol with the aid of dry ice?