Because of the collective hatred and animosity all reasonable drinkers share against hangovers, a large collection of hangover cures have already been developed. Before dealing with the cures, it will be logical to learn even a basic chemistry pertaining to the despised hangovers. All the physical and mental disturbances or ailments, which are clumped and classified together as hangovers, are caused by several underlying reasons which all stem down from the excessive intake of the intoxicating alcoholic beverages.
These major reasons include dehydration and the accumulation of intoxicants. Dehydration can be immediately explained through the excessive urination induced by alcohols, particularly ethanol. When the brain is afflicted by dehydration; headaches, lethargy, and mental disorientation are expected to follow. Aside from frequent urination, dehydration is also induced by vomiting and the actual water requirement for alcohol metabolism to be completed. Except for water, a sizeable amount of energy in the form of adenosine triphospates and certain nutrients must be consumed for alcohol conversion.
This energy requirement contributes to the exhaustion that’s characteristic of hangovers. Acetaldehyde accumulation is a very big issue especially when one knows that acetaldehydes are at least ten times more toxic than equivalent amounts of alcohols. The alcohol dehydrogenase situated in the liver converts ethanol to the more potent acetaldehydes. For the body to get rid of these noxious acetaldehydes, they must be converted to the more tolerable acetic acid by means of acetaldehyde dehydrogenase. These mentioned reactions demand that NADH will be produced from NAD+. When excessive level of NADH or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide hydride is present; the crucial Citric Acid Cycle will not proceed because of the inhibition of alpha-ketogluturate dehydrogenase, citrate synthase and isocitrate dehydrogenase. This Citric Acid Cycle or Krebs Cycle is very important in providing more raw materials for Electron Transport Chain, which is the body’s main means of adenosine triphosphate or energy generation. Krebs Cycle would have converted pyruvate, the main glycolysis product, to more useful forms. The deactivation of Krebs Cycle will therefore lead to an accumulation of pyruvate. The large amounts of NADH and pyruvate will eventually lead to the production of lactic acid to enable the body to regenerate the adequate level of NAD+. This prevents pyruvate from being utilized in gluconeogenesis and this means that glucose levels will become lower than what the body requires.
Since glucose is the main food source of the body, the lack of glucose drains the body particularly the brain. This sugar inadequacy leads to fatigue, overall weakness and inefficient mental functions. Aside from the mentioned harms, alcohol and its derivatives compromise the body’s capability of removing the harmful intoxicants by compromising the body’s supply of detoxifying agents. This makes it very hard for the body to recover on its own. The best hangover remedies are absolutely those that maximally suppress the overall chemical aspects of hangovers and not just few of the mentioned chemical concerns.