Drinking water and eating after excess alcohol will not prevent hangovers, study finds

Hangovers cannot be prevented, even by drinking water or eating after boozing, scientists have concluded.

A study conducted on university students revealed that despite what many people think and hope, there is no escape from the uncomfortable outcome of excessive alcohol.

A group of 826 students in the Netherlands took part in the research and just over half said they had eaten after their latest heavy drinking session, but with little effect on the severity of their hangovers.

"From what we know from the surveys so far, the only practical way to avoid a hangover is to drink less alcohol," said Dr Joris Verster, from the University of Utrecht.

"Those who took food or water showed a slight statistical improvement in how they felt over those who didn't, but this didn't really translate into a meaningful difference."

The study also showed that people who boast of being immune to hangovers often actually drink less than they think.

"In general, we found a pretty straight relationship; the more you drink, the more likely you are to get a hangover," said Dr Verster.

"The majority of those who in fact reported never having a hangover tended to drink less - perhaps less than they themselves thought would lead to a hangover."