Do hangover immune drinkers metabolize alcohol faster?

Purpose: About 20% of drinkers report being “immune” to hangovers, despite consuming large amounts of alcohol. It has been suggested that, when compared to drinkers who experience hangovers, those who do not experience hangovers may have an accelerated alcohol metabolism, causing them to reach less high peak blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and a faster breakdown of alcohol towards a BAC of zero. The aim of this study was compare alcohol metabolism between drinkers with a hangover and those who claim to be hangover immune. Methods: Social drinkers who have hangovers and those who claim to be hangover immune were included. For comparison purposes, they were recruited among participants of previous hangover trials. They received a gender- and weight-adjusted amount of alcohol mixed with orange juice, to reach a peak BAC of 0.05%. After consumption, breathalyser tests were taken every 5 min until BAC reached zero. Results: A total of N = 23 subjects completed the study, of which 11 claimed to be hangover immune. No significant differences between the hangover and immune group were found with regard to peak BAC (p = 0.76; 0.045% vs. 0.047%, respectively), time to reach peak BAC (p = 0.32; 26.9 min vs. 31.9 min, respectively), and time from peak BAC to reach BAC zero (p = 0.90,172.7 min vs. 175.7 min, respectively). Discussion: No significant differences were observed in alcohol metabolism rate between hangover and hangover immune social drinkers.