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Mackus M, van de Loo AJAE, Garssen J, Kraneveld AD, Scholey A, Verster JC. The Role of Alcohol Metabolism in the Pathology of Alcohol Hangover. J Clin Med 2020; 9:E3421. [PMID: 33113870 PMCID: PMC7692803 DOI: 10.3390/jcm9113421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Revised: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The limited number of available studies that examined the pathology of alcohol hangover focused on biomarkers of alcohol metabolism, oxidative stress and the inflammatory response to alcohol as potentially important determinants of hangover severity. The available literature on alcohol metabolism and oxidative stress is reviewed in this article. The current body of evidence suggests a direct relationship between blood ethanol concentration and hangover severity, whereas this association is not significant for acetaldehyde. The rate of alcohol metabolism seems to be an important determinant of hangover severity. That is, fast elimination of ethanol is associated with experiencing less severe hangovers. An explanation for this observation may be the fact that ethanol-in contrast to acetaldehyde-is capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier. With slower ethanol metabolism, more ethanol is able to reach the brain and elicit hangover symptoms. Hangover severity was also significantly associated with biomarkers of oxidative stress. More oxidative stress in the first hours after alcohol consumption was associated with less severe next-day hangovers (i.e., a significant negative correlation was found between hangover severity and malondialdehyde). On the contrary, more oxidative stress at a later stage after alcohol consumption was associated with having more severe next-day hangovers (i.e., a significant positive correlation was found between hangover severity and 8-isoprostane). In conclusion, assessment of biomarkers of alcohol metabolism suggests that fast elimination of ethanol is associated with experiencing less severe hangovers. More research is needed to further examine the complex interrelationship between alcohol metabolism, the role of acetaldehyde and oxidative stress and antioxidants, and the pathology of the alcohol hangover.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlou Mackus
- Division of Pharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), Utrecht University, 3584CG Utrecht, The Netherlands; (M.M.); (A.J.v.d.L.); (J.G.); (A.D.K.)
| | - Aurora JAE van de Loo
- Division of Pharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), Utrecht University, 3584CG Utrecht, The Netherlands; (M.M.); (A.J.v.d.L.); (J.G.); (A.D.K.)
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Utrecht University, 3584CM Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Johan Garssen
- Division of Pharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), Utrecht University, 3584CG Utrecht, The Netherlands; (M.M.); (A.J.v.d.L.); (J.G.); (A.D.K.)
- Global Centre of Excellence Immunology, Nutricia Danone Research, 3584CT Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Aletta D. Kraneveld
- Division of Pharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), Utrecht University, 3584CG Utrecht, The Netherlands; (M.M.); (A.J.v.d.L.); (J.G.); (A.D.K.)
| | - Andrew Scholey
- Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Swinburne University, Melbourne, VIC 3122, Australia;
| | - Joris C. Verster
- Division of Pharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), Utrecht University, 3584CG Utrecht, The Netherlands; (M.M.); (A.J.v.d.L.); (J.G.); (A.D.K.)
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Utrecht University, 3584CM Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Swinburne University, Melbourne, VIC 3122, Australia;
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Nishimura FT, Fukunaga T, Nishijo H, Ono T, Kajiura H, Yokomukai Y. Electroencephalogram Spectral Characteristics After Alcohol Ingestion in Japanese Men With Aldehyde Dehydrogenase-2 Genetic Variations: Comparison With Peripheral Changes. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2001. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2001.tb02313.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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