What a real hangover..

Vodka

Vodka is made by fermenting grains or crops such as potatoes withyeast. It's then purified and repeatedly filtered, often throughcharcoal, strange as it sounds, until it's as clear as possible.

CALORIES: Because vodka contains no carbohydrates or sugars, itcontains only calories from ethanol (around 7 calories per gram),making it the least-fattening alcoholic beverage. So a 35ml shot ofvodka would contain about 72 calories.

PROS: Vodka is the 'cleanest' alcoholic beverage because it containshardly any 'congeners' - impurities normally formed duringfermentation. These play a big part in how bad your hangover is.Despite its high alcohol content - around 40 per cent - vodka is theleast likely alcoholic drink to leave you with a hangover, said astudy by the British Medical Association.

CONS: Vodka is often a factor in binge drinking deaths because it isrelatively tasteless when mixed with fruit juices or other drinks.

HANGOVER SEVERITY: 3/10

WHISKY
Whisky 'madness': It triggers erratic and unpredictable behaviourbecause most people drink whisky neat.

CALORIES: About 80 calories per 35ml shot.

PROS: Single malt whiskies have been found to contain high levels ofellagic acid, according to Dr Jim Swan of the Royal Society ofChemists. This powerful acid inhibits the growth of tumours caused bycertain carcinogens and kills cancer cells without damaging healthycells.

CONS: Whisky 'madness' - erratic and unpredictable behaviour - is acommon problem with drinking whisky. It's caused by the way mostpeople drink it - neat, explains Professor Jones.His experiments show that among people drinking the same amount ofethanol, those drinking it in the form of spirits, such as whisky, hadthe quickest and highest peak in the blood alcohol concentration,which occurred less than an hour after drinking began.'If you drink any alcohol on an empty stomach, it can compare withgetting it intravenously'Professor Wayne Jones'To slow absorption down, you could take it very much diluted or alongwith a rich, calorie-dense ingredient such as cream, as in Baileys orIrish coffee.'Whisky also contains lots of congeners, which tend to form during theageing process in oak casks. A study by the BMA found that as aresult, Bourbon Whiskey is twice as likely to cause a hangover as thesame amount of vodka.

HANGOVER SEVERITY: 8/10

WHITE WINE

White wine is made from the fermented juice of grapes stripped oftheir seeds and skins.

CALORIES: Around 130 calories per 175 ml glass; slightly more in sweeter wines.

PROS: American researchers found that grape flesh contains thechemicals tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol, which help lower arterycloggingLDL cholesterol.

CONS: It's the sulphites formed naturally or added to white wine aspreservatives to stop it going brown which are the most likely causeof the 'white wine hangover' many people complain of.Sulphites also carry the risk of an allergic reaction which can worsensymptoms such as a headache, or asthma. White wines also wear awaytooth enamel faster, making teeth more sensitive.

HANGOVER SEVERITY: 6/10Colour code:

Red wine can cause a worse hangover than white winebecause it contains methanol, a second type of alcohol that lingers in your body the next day.

RED WINE

Red wine is made from fermented grape juice - but unlike white wine,with the skin and pips included. It's then left to mature for aminimum of three years, during which pigments from the skins leech outand colour the wine red.

CALORIES: Around 120 calories in a standard glass - it's slightlylower in sugar content than white wine.

PROS: Contains more reservatrol - a plant anti- oxidant - than whitewine. This helps to prevent blood clots and reduce inflammation, whichis now considered to play a key role in heart disease. Also, the pipsand skins used in red wines contain tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol,chemicals which help lower artery-clogging LDL cholesterol.

CONS: Red wine drinkers can get worse hangovers than beer or whitewine drinkers. Because of the way it's made, red wine produces twotypes of alcohol - ethanol and methanol. The liver processes theethanol part of the drink first and leaves methanol until last. 'As aresult, it's likely to be floating around in the body for a lot longerthan ethanol, giving you that familiar "morning after" feeling,' saysProfessor Jones.

HANGOVER SEVERITY: 7/10

BEER

Slow mover: Low in alcohol, beer is the least dangerous to drinkBeer is made by fermenting barley. Hops are added for flavour andyeast to make the grains ferment into sugar and alcohol.

CALORIES: It's the most calorierich alcoholic beverage - just one pintcontains between 170 and 200 calories, about the same as sevenchocolate fingers biscuits.

PROS: Beer is the least dangerous to drink and makes you feel youdrunk the slowest.It has the lowest alcohol content - between 3 and 6 per cent forlager, and up to 8 per cent for ale and stout.A pint also contains more than a quarter of an adult's recommendeddose of Vitamin B folate, which stops the build-up of homocysteineachemical linked to heart attacks.

CONS: Beer is high in compounds called purines, which boost the levelsof uric acid in the blood, according to a study at MassachusettsGeneral Hospital.This can form crystals in joints, leading to painful attacks of gout.The 12-year study found that drinking more than two beers a daydoubled the risk.Meanwhile, research published in the International Journal of Cancershowed that one pint a day adds a 10 per cent risk of bowel cancer,while two pints a day increases the risk by 25 per cent.

HANGOVER SEVERITY: 4/10

BRANDY
Brandy is a spirit distilled from red wine. Fine brandies are aged forextra flavour in wooden casks.Hangover hell? Brandy contains high amounts of impurities

CALORIES: Around 80 in every 35ml shot.

PROS: Because brandy is a distillation of red wine, it contains a highconcentration of antioxidants which mop-up 'free radicals' which, it'sclaimed, can damage the body organs and tissues and lead to deadlydiseases.Australian scientists discovered that the antioxidants created duringthe distilling process mean that 30ml of good brandy would give theequivalent antioxidant hit of the daily recommended intake of vitaminC.

CONS: It could give you the worst headache of all, according toresearch at London's National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery.This was closely followed by red wine, then rum, whisky and gin. Notonly does brandy contain at least 40 per cent alcohol, the highquality cask-aged variety is likely to have the highest amounts ofcongeners, which are formed during the lengthy storage andfermentation process.Professor Jones says: 'Brandy contains literally hundreds of differentvolatile compounds, which gives it the distinctive pleasant smell butalso contributes to the hangover.

'HANGOVER SEVERITY: 9/10

CHAMPAGNE

Fast acting: ChampagneChampagne and sparkling wine are made in roughly the same way as wine- but then more yeast is added and it's left to ferment in the bottlea second time, producing carbon dioxide.

CALORIES: An average 175 ml glass of Champagne contains 133 calories,slightly more than a glass of white wine because syrup is added toimprove taste.

PROS: The antioxidants in Champagne may help protect your brainagainst damage incurred during a stroke and against neurologicaldisorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, according to ateam of researchers from the University of Reading. They found thathigh levels antioxidants, called caffeic acid and tyrosol, helpedprotect brain cells from damage.

CONS: The bubbles speed up the absorption of alcohol into thebloodstream. And contrary to popular belief, Champagne won't lift yourspirits - alcohol affects brain receptors in the same way, whateverits source.'Alcohol basically works in the same way in the brain receptors asValium,' says Professor Jones. 'It depresses brain activity andrelieves anxiety. You might think you're in a good mood, but it's morelikely the result of alcohol causing "disinhibition" , making you moretalkative and exhibitionist.

'HANGOVER SEVERITY: 7/10