Coffee doesn't cure hangovers

It's the most well known cure for a hangover, but your faithful coffee only masks the symptoms

Hangover - News - Marie Claire
Hangover - News - Marie Claire
(Image credit: Rex Features)

It's the most well known cure for a hangover, but your faithful coffee only masks the symptoms

It's the morning after your office Christmas party, and what do you do? If you're among the majority, then you probably reach for a strong mug of coffee. But don't be fooled by its ‘healing' qualities, as new research shows caffeine only masks the symptoms of a hangover.

According to scientists in the U.S., coffee does nothing to make you more alert after a night on the tiles. It just makes it harder for people to realise they're drunk.

Even more disturbing, the study by scientists at Temple University in Philadelphia discovered mixing caffeine and alcohol together in the body could actually lead to poor decisions with disastrous outcomes.

Thomas Gould, who led the study, says that there is a fear that people with hangovers may be under the impression they are no longer drunk if they allow coffee to mask the side effects of their excess.

He says: ‘People who feel tired and intoxicated after consuming alcohol may be more likely to acknowledge that they are drunk.'

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