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"This is definitely not a good idea ..." says lead researcher Dr. Ben Desbrow, of drinking beer to hydrate after exercise.
That didn't stop him and colleagues at the School of Public Health at Griffith University in Queensland, Australia, from seeing what happens.
In the ongoing journey to calculate one true "ideal dose" of alcohol, data keeps telling us that geography matters. Health effects are different depending on where studies take place. We're still learning how cultural/biological factors shape the way alcohol affects our bodies, though we know we regard drinking very differently in different places.
Research like Desbrow's is indicative of one such cultural talking point. His team is trying to find a more viable way for people to consume a lot of alcohol without the dehydration that makes us sick. Naysayers might note that hangovers can serve a purpose—deterring people from drinking too much. Sometimes. And that it's strange for doctors to try to create a beer that could take that away. The alcohol would still cause cirrhosis and esophageal cancer, etc. Some might say.
On that note, in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, Desbrow et al produced one of the most interesting abstracts I've seen: