American scientists have shown that drinkingwhisky produces a worse hangover than drinkingvodka, and that the red wine hangover is worse than the white wine hangover.
According to the experiments carried out by Damaris Rohsenow, who led the research at Brown University (USA), abusingdarker-hued alcoholic beverages produce more symptoms ofhangover– nausea, headache, heartburn, dizziness, thirst and fatigue – the next day. The reason for this discomfort could be in the difference in the number of substances that are created during the alcohol fermentation process, calledlike-minded people. For example, thebourbon(American whiskey) contains 37 times more chemicals thanvodka, including acetic acid and tannins. The reaction to these toxic by-products is responsible for the malaise the day after.
However, Rohsenow’s experiments also show that, despite differences in hangover, overall performance on tasks that require concentration is approximately the same regardless of the drink ingested. Their conclusions are published in the magazineAlcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research.
The medical term for hangover isveisalgia, which etymologically comes fromkveis, Norwegian term meaning upset after a bacchanalia, andalgia, from the Greek, which means pain. In Japan it is calledFutsu-ka-yoi, which literally means “drunk on the second day.”
