Finnish researchers believe they’ve found a real hangover cure

There's good news for those who tend to overindulge on vacation, as researchers from Finland believe they have found an effective cure for hangovers. And while travelers love to check out the local drinks at their holiday destination, it's no fun when you're on the road or at the beach and your hangover symptoms include nausea, headache, stress, anxiety and impaired cognitive ability.

How to survive a hangover on the road

The results of a new study from the University of Helsinki and the University of Eastern Finland suggest that the semi-essential amino acid, L-cysteine, can ease hangover symptoms. L-cysteine, representing a single chemical molecule, is produced in the human body. The researchers recruited 19 men for the study, and they drank cranberry juice and the 10% proof Finnish grain alcohol, Koskenkorva, with the number of drinks each participant received based on his body weight. Each man was given either a placebo, a pill containing 600mg of L-cysteine, or a 1200mg dose of L-cysteine.

The study found that the men who received the 1200mg pill experienced less severe headaches and nausea the following morning, while those who had the smaller dose felt less anxious overall. "The fact of the matter is that higher degree of alcohol-related hangover and stress symptoms lead to more effort ‘curing’ the after-effects by drinking alcohol," they concluded. "L-cysteine would reduce the need of drinking the next day with no or less hangover symptoms: nausea, headache, stress and anxiety. Altogether, these effects of L-cysteine are unique and seem to have a future in preventing or alleviating these harmful symptoms as well as reducing the risk of alcohol addiction."

You can read the full study in the journal Alcohol and Alcoholism here.

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