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Health

08th Sep 2018

There’s a really funny health side effect to being in love

SORRY BEYONCÉ LOOKS LIKE YOU ACTUALLY CAN'T BE DRUNK IN LOVE

Her

OH HEY Beyoncé, sorry but looks like it’s actually impossible to be drunk in love.

New research by The University of Sydney suggests having sex or being in love will have a sobering effective on the brain.

Reporting their findings in scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a team led by Dr. Michael Bowen experimented with levels of oxytocin and alcohol in rats. Oxytocin is commonly known as ‘the cuddle hormone’ and is most prevalent during sex.

When the researchers infused oxytocin into the brains of rats which were then given alcohol it prevented the drunken lack of coordination typically caused by the alcohol.

“In the rat equivalent of a sobriety test, the rats given alcohol and oxytocin passed with flying colours, while those given alcohol without oxytocin were seriously impaired,” said Dr. Bowen.

The team found that oxytocin prevents alcohol from accessing specific areas in the brain that cause alcohol’s intoxicating effects.

But, it’s worth noting that while it stops the brain from feeling drunk, it does not help the alcohol leave your body faster.

“While oxytocin might reduce your level of intoxication, it won’t actually change your blood alcohol level,” Dr. Bowen said. “This is because the oxytocin is preventing the alcohol from accessing the sites in the brain that make you intoxicated, it is not causing the alcohol to leave your system any faster”.

Tests have not yet been carried out in humans but the team hopes to pursue these tests in the future.