Hangover
research
project
SCIENTISTS on a mission to understand hangovers say they have dispelled as a myth the old saying: "Beer before wine and you'll feel fine; wine before beer and you'll feel queer".
University of Cambridge and German researchers plied 90 volunteers aged between 19 and 40 with alcoholic drinks to examine the "influence of the combination and order of beer and wine consumption on hangover intensity", according to Sky News.
The drinkers were split into three groups. The first had around two-and-a-half pints of beer and then four large glasses of white wine. The second group consumed the same drinks but in reverse order. Volunteers in the third group had either only beer or only wine.
Several of the volunteers vomited and were given a score on a so-called "acute hangover scale", based on factors including thirst, fatigue, headache, dizziness, nausea, stomach-ache, and increased heart rate.
The results showed that no matter what order you knock back your drinks in - if you have too much, you will pay the price for it the next day.
Dr Kai Hensel, a senior clinical fellow at Cambridge University, says: "Unfortunately, we found that there was no way to avoid the inevitable hangover just by favouring one order over another."
One has to question though that "old saying". Who has ever heard it? Who switches from beer to wine or vice versa? Most of us surely have grown up in the belief that you just don't mix drinks, in whatever order.
The Bible warns against it in Isaiah 5: 22: "Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink." There you have it in a nutshell.
However, research into hangover avoidance is to be applauded. It is conducted by volunteers every night in places such as the Street Shelter for the Over-Forties, with varying degrees of success.
INVESTMENT analyst Dr James Greener questions in his latest grumpy newsletter the missing of an opportunity to round up felons at the State of the Nation Address.
"It seems to be dawning on President Cyril that there are far too many felons with access to the national petty cash box. But the marvellous opportunity presented by the Sona event in Cape Town to round up hundreds of them was wasted.
"The new prosecuting unit is still just on his wish list and so the police were untroubled.
"Unfortunately, even the fashion police who ought to have been at work were also absent. It's a mystery why this event on the parliamentary calendar causes the guests to behave and dress like teenagers off to a sleepover at a friend's house."
Greener also asks whether, given the distance and other factors such as ocean depth, an exploratory gas condensate strike 175km offshore from Knysna really can at this early stage be attributed a value of R1 trillion. But he notes that it does have the delightful name of Brulpadda (Bullfrog).
Tailpiece
A FELLOW walks into a bar with a small dog. The dog sits down at the piano and starts playing some catchy tunes. Then a big dog runs in, grabs the small one by the scruff of the neck and drags him outside.
Barman: "Hey, that small dog's terrific. But what's it with the big one?"
"Oh, that's his mother. She wants him to be a doctor."
Last word
An idealist is a person who helps other people to be prosperous.
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