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- There are so many myths surrounding the consumption of alcohol, but will you be able to tell fact from fiction?
- For example, does alcohol really warm you up on cold days, and when you cook with it, is the alcoholic content really burned off?
- Professor Jürgen Rehm, who researches alcohol consumption and alcoholism, debunks a few popular myths.
When it comes to alcohol consumption, there are many myths floating around out there. Take a look at some of the most popular below, as an expert helps distinguish between what's real and what's not.
Fact or myth 1: Different types of alcohol drunk in the right order will prevent a hangover
Many believe that if you drink beer before you have a glass of wine, you'll be okay, but consuming it the other way around may leave you feeling terrible the following day. But What does science say?
"Researchers from England and Germany studied four groups of people -- one drank beer after wine, another wine after beer, another just beer, and the final group just wine. Each one had the same amount of alcohol. Then they measured how hung over the people were the next day and looked at other symptoms, too. And there was zero difference," Professor Jürgen Rehm, who researches alcohol consumption and alcoholism, tells Deutsche Welle.
READ MORE | Food cravings decoded: What your body is trying to tell you
Fact or myth 2: When it's cold outside, drinking alcohol will warm you up from the inside
Is this true? "Absolutely not," says Rehm. "The alcohol, of course, has a physical effect. And the physical effect is that the blood circulation in your outer skin improves. That gives you a deceptive sense of feeling a little warmer. But actually, alcohol lowers your core body temperature so that the cold conditions outside are effectively amplified."
Fact or myth 3: After a big meal, schnaps or a similar alcoholic beverage aids digestion
"It's exactly the opposite," says Rehm. "What the alcohol does, is that it prevents and slows down your digestion. And that is not necessarily what you want after a meal."
Drinking herbal tea, on the other hand, is just the thing.
READ MORE | Sweet truth: Is the sugar in fruit bad for you?
Fact or myth 4: Drinking alcohol kills off brain cells
"If you drink a glass of wine today, your level of stupidity will be no better or worse than it was before. But if you drink a bottle of wine every day, you'll be doing a lot to wreck your cognitive abilities in the long run."
Fact or myth 5: Alcohol evaporates when you cook with it
Many people use wine or sherry when cooking to add flavour. The belief is that you will not become intoxicated because the alcohol in the beverage cooks off. Is this true, though?
"Yes and no," says Rehm. "Large quantities of alcohol do evaporate, but you have to assume that a small amount will remain. And that residual amount can have a negative effect on some people. Even if you cook it for hours, a trace of alcohol always remains."
