What CAUSES a Hangover?

Metabolism by-products (Acetaldehyde)

When alcohol is metabolized and broken down in the liver by the enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase, something much more toxic that the alcohol itself is produced by the liver.

The toxic by-product of alcohol metabolism is called acetaldehyde. Luckily for us, there are two things in our bodies which help keep acetaldehyde from giving a person the worst hangover ever.

After the alcohol is initially attacked by the alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme, producing the acetaldehyde, the acetaldehyde is suddenly attacked. The attackers consist of another enzyme called acetaldehyde dehydrogenase and well as a substance called glutathione, which is attracted to acetaldehyde due to its cysteine content.

One note: cysteine is great for fighting hangovers and is actually found in an egg which is why eating eggs the morning after is a great way to treat a hangover.

Once both the acetaldehyde dehydrogenase and glutathione attack the acetaldehyde that is produced by the liver, they form the substance called acetate which is very similar to vinegar and is nontoxic.

One thing to note here is that our levels of glutathione can rapidly decrease as our levels of consumption rise in shorter periods of time. This ‘too much too fast’ pace of drinking can cause more acetaldehyde to cause more damage to our bodies than we would like since it is not getting attacked by the ‘dynamic duo’, glutathione and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase.

Ever heard of the drug called Antabuse? It is a drug designed for alcoholics which stops the enzyme acetaldehyde dehydrogenase from doing its job, resulting in a massive hangover and much regret which causes the alcoholic to veer away from any more drinks for quite a while.