Two students at Yale University say they have developed a hangover-prevention supplement that actually works.
ADVERTISEMENTFinal year students at Yale University in the US believe they have discovered the holy grail of dietary supplements – a hangover prevention powder.
Liam McClintock and Margaret Morse reportedly had some experience in the field of hangovers. Like many students, they were struggling to get their work done after nights of alcoholic over-indulgence and so decided to do something about it.
The experimentation phase sounds a little less academic than most as they gathered empirical evidence by testing a variety of existing “hangover cures” on themselves.
“I have always been a big fan of supplements and in trying to find a solution to my own hangovers, I found that none of the products on the market were effective,” McClintock said.
So they began a two-step process. First, they “identified the root causes of a hangover as far as scientific research has suggested,” and second they “researched and identified nutrients that could combat these causes”. To put it scientifically, hangovers are caused by “acetaldehyde buildup, glutamine rebound, immunologic disturbances, and vitamin and electrolyte loss”.
In layman’s terms, McClintock and Morse found that drinking alcohol causes the immune system to overwork and become inflamed. This leads to a drop in vitamin and mineral levels causing a “state of depletion”.
Other products marketed as hangover cures tend to try to combat this depletion-state after drinking but the students’ product, known as ‘Mentis’, is designed to be taken beforehand.
Mentis is formulated to prevent the state of depletion from happening in the first place. This, they say, is done by providing the body with the amino acids necessary to battle alcohol toxicity and stop the immune system’s negative reaction to it.
The citrus-flavoured soluble powder contains the “muscle and mind building” amino acid L-Glutamine, potassium, B vitamins, zinc and green tea extract. McClintock and Morse have already teamed up with a pharmaceutical company to produce Mentis which is patent-pending and will soon be on the market.
More information on the Mentis’ blog