Scientists Developing Hangover-free Beer

It's one of the holy grails of life: how to drink copious amounts of beer and not have to suffer the agonising pain of the subsequent hangover.

But a solution may be in sight, as scientists at Griffith University in Australia have conducted the noblest of experiments.

Research published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition has shown that adding electrolytes to alcoholic beverages significantly improves fluid retention, resulting in greater hydration, and easing any ensuing hangover.

Ben Desbrow, an associate professor at the University who is leading the study, explained, "Beer itself is not what I would call a dehydrator, but it's a very poor rehydrator. You lose the majority of the fluid that you bring in. It doesn't cause you to lose further fluid, but you just don't get any benefit from the drinks that you're having."

Thus, after spending an evening throwing shapes on a dancefloor, or simply just enduring that long walk from table to bar, you will find yourself dehydrated.

By adding sodium to low or medium-strength beer, they found that participants had 'significantly lower' urine output and 'significantly higher' net body mass - indicating that fluid had been retained.

Sadly, there was little effect for full-strength beer, but for those wanting a relatively mild night out without feeling bad the next day, this could prove a useful solution. Desbrow sought to play down expectations saying, "We're on a bit of a harm-minimisation strategy... we're not saying this will ever be the ideal rehydration solution."

They plan to try and strike the perfect balance between maintaining taste and strength whilst maximising water retention in forthcoming research - you can help by taking a survey here. We await the results with with baited breath.

[via Stuff.co.nz]