Asian pears could ward off hangovers

Melbourne

Heading out for a booze-fuelled night out? Drink pear juice to avoid a hangover! Drinking Asian pear juice before consuming alcohol can prevent hangover symptoms, scientists have found.

Researchers at Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) led by Professor Manny Noakes found that drinking the juice of Asian pear, also known as Korean pear, can prevent hangovers as well as lower blood alcohol levels.

Researchers measured hangover severity in study subjects using a 14-item hangover symptom scale.

They found that those given 220 ml of Asian pear juice reported reduced overall hangover symptoms compared to those in the placebo group, with the most pronounced improvement reported in the area of "trouble concentrating." 

The hangover was only avoided if the pear juice was consumed before the alcohol, 'Gizmag' reported.While the study involved pear juice, the researchers believe consuming whole pears would produce similar effects.

Further research is needed to determine whether the hangover-preventing capabilities extend to other pear varieties as the studies have so far only involved the Asian pear, which is known to have a number of compositional differences to Western pear varieties.

While the mechanism responsible for Asian pear's protective effects against a hangover is not completely understood, the researchers said that factors in Asian pears have an effect on key enzymes, alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), which accelerate the metabolism of alcohol and inhibit its absorption in the body.

Specifically, blood acetaldehyde levels, which is the toxic metabolic thought to be responsible for hangover symptoms, were reduced after consuming pear juice.

Noakes noted that the research was only a preliminary scoping study but the team plans to deliver a comprehensive review of the scientific literature regarding pears, pear components and relevant health measures in the future. — PTI