Confirmed: Coffee Will Cure Your Hangover

A new study is claiming that (duh!) caffeine is a hangover cure, at least for the headache portion of your morning-after ailments. It will not cure that overwhelming sense of regret, or satiate your craving for an egg n' cheese sandwich with a side of cold pizza.

Pat's Papers points us to this article, which states the study found "a key agent in the brain chemistry responsible for hangover headaches and... a good remedy is caffeine." Allegedly it blocks the adenosine chemical that is causing that raging morning after pain... but it won't do much for the other not-so-pleasant hangover feelings.

Researchers also spoke about the "hair of the dog" cure, noting that "more alcohol may indeed reduce symptoms, but only for a time." So your best bet* is to down some Four Loko, which has both caffeine and alcohol.

*This is not your best bet.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Carlson in News on January 21, 2011 2:30 PM

Comments [rss]

Samantha White

"A pill to prevent a hangover? Sounds like the mother of all old wives' tales. Before a (few) rounds of champagne at a recent birthday party, I dubiously threw back one of these Cheerz iTabs. The next morning, I woke up in fighting form - and an absolute iTabs convert. Stock up ($12.98 for two packs) at CheerzHangover.com." - Julia Rappaport, Boston Herald, "Gotta Love It"
http://bostonherald.com/entert...

Peanut_Butter

You guys ready to let the dogs out?
What? Do what?
Let the dogs out. You know, ooh let the dogs out. Ooh ooh.
Who brought this guy?

Relaxasaurus

his junk looks like freedom fries

maatthias

Also, the study didn't "confirm" anything. It produced evidence.

maatthias

Sigh. Not that one should go to gothamist for science news but it's LONG been known that caffeine relieves headaches. It's in fricking Excedrin for chrissakes. Soooo... 1.) Caffeine relieves HEADACHES. Not hangovers (for which no "cure" exists.) 2.) It relieves and does NOT CURE headaches. This is not pedantic. It's critical thinking.

Peanut_Butter

Dude, relax. I think the writers were "speaking" loosely by saying "hangover cure". Of course, your sharp and worth-of-NASA explanation was correct. But insofar as the caffeine in coffee relieves headaches, as you point out, then it is a "hangover cure" of sorts.