Its recipe is so closely guarded that it is said to be stored in a secure location for use in a national emergency.<\/p>\n
And with only three people said to know exactly what goes into Irn\u2013Bru \u2013 long hailed by devotees as the ultimate hangover cure \u2013 perhaps that level of caution is understandable.<\/p>\n
The mythology runs deep. Legendary comedian Sir Billy Connolly once joked that the drink had saved his life ‘on so many Sunday mornings’ \u2013 a sentiment that will feel familiar to anyone who has reached for its lurid orange glow after one too many the night before.<\/p>\n
But behind the folklore, what is it about Irn\u2013Bru that inspires such loyalty among the bleary\u2013eyed?\u00a0<\/p>\n
And would any self\u2013respecting nutritionist actually endorse it as a remedy for a hangover?<\/p>\n
Nichola Ludlam\u2013Raine, specialist dietitian and author of How Not to Eat Ultra\u2013Processed, tells the Daily Mail: ‘Irn\u2013Bru has built a bit of a cult reputation as a hangover cure and there are a few reasons why people feel it works.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n ‘After a night of drinking, blood sugar levels can dip, and people are often mildly dehydrated. Sugary, fizzy drinks like Irn\u2013Bru provide a quick source of glucose, which may temporarily improve energy levels and reduce feelings of fatigue or shakiness.<\/span><\/p>\n ‘The carbonation can also help settle nausea for some people, and the distinctive flavour can feel refreshing when appetite is low.’<\/span><\/p>\n Irn\u2013Bru is a Scottish soft drink with a secret recipe seen by many as the ultimate hangover cure<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Much to the disappointment of many sweet\u2013toothed fans, the sugar content of an original can of Irn\u2013Bru was cut by roughly 50 per cent in 2018, ahead of the UK Government’s sugar tax.\u00a0<\/p>\n Thousands took the news so badly that a petition named ‘Hands off our Irn-Bru’ was formed, but the reformulation went through anyway.<\/p>\n Today, a standard 330ml can of the drink \u2013 which, 125 years after it was first made still has no quantifiable flavour \u2013 contains around 15g of sugar, 30mg of caffeine and approximately 62 kcal.<\/p>\n Its listed ingredients include carbonated water, sugar, citric acid, flavourings \u2013 including caffeine, ammonium ferric citrate and quinine \u2013 along with sweeteners such as aspartame, preservatives and added colouring.<\/p>\n That said, beyond the tongue-in-cheek marketing slogan that it is ‘made from girders,’ the details of Irn-Bru’s secret recipe remain known only to a select few.<\/p>\n As the brand itself jokes on its website: ‘If we told you, we’d have to kill you.’<\/p>\n The nutrition figures differ for its Diet and Zero variants, both of which contain no sugar and just 2 to 3 calories per 330ml can, with the Zero version often described as the sweeter of the two.<\/p>\n For those craving the original sweetness, the brand also introduced its ‘1901’ version \u2013 a throwback recipe containing around 36g of sugar and roughly 142 calories per 330ml can.<\/p>\n For many people, the first signs of a heavy evening drinking alcohol upon waking are intense thirst and dehydration \u2013 often accompanied by a pounding headache.<\/p>\n Alcohol acts as a diuretic, meaning it causes the body to lose fluids more quickly through increased urination.<\/p>\n This not only contributes to dehydration but can also leave you reaching for more drinks during a night out, and craving fluids the following day.<\/p>\n A standard can of original Irn\u2013Bru contains\u00a0around 15g of sugar and approximately 62 kcal<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Hangovers can also take a toll on the stomach.\u00a0<\/p>\n Alcohol irritates the lining, increasing inflammation and stomach acid, which can lead to pain, discomfort, and nausea. In more severe cases, this irritation is what triggers vomiting.<\/p>\n On top of that, blood sugar levels often drop after drinking, which can leave you feeling weak, shaky, or light\u2013headed.\u00a0<\/p>\n Combined with the fact that alcohol disrupts deep, restorative sleep, it is no surprise that many people wake up feeling exhausted the next day \u2013 and craving a sugar fix.<\/p>\n Ms Ludlam\u2013Raine says: ‘Ultimately if someone enjoys Irn-Bru and it helps them feel a bit better, there’s no harm in having it occasionally.<\/p>\n ‘However, it’s important to be clear that Irn-Bru isn’t a true cure for a hangover. None of the hangover symptoms are properly addressed by a sugary soft drink alone.’<\/p>\n She also warned that its high sugar content can ‘sometimes lead to a rapid spike and crash in blood sugar, potentially making people feel worse later on’.<\/p>\n Nutritionist and author Jenna Hope agrees, adding: ‘Irn-Bru is often used as a hangover cure as the high caffeine and sugar content provide an additional boost of energy.\u00a0<\/p>\n ‘However, this energy is artificially driven which means you’re likely to experience a worse crash later on in the afternoon. It’s not recommended as a healthy hangover cure.’<\/p>\n The brand themselves offer a somewhat mysterious explanation for the legend surrounding the drink’s supposed ability to cure hangovers.<\/p>\n They say: ‘Many people feel that Irn-Bru is a great pick-me-up generally and there are those that believe it can help with a hangover.\u00a0<\/p>\n ‘People with a hangover tend to be dehydrated so it could be that \u2013 or it could be a bit of magic in the secret recipe that no-one can explain.’<\/p>\n Irn\u2013Bru released a ‘1901’ version of the drink containing more sugar like the original recipe<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Ms\u00a0Ludlam\u2013Raine says that instead of reaching for any soft drink, rehydrating with water or drinks containing electrolytes such as ‘oral rehydration solutions or milk’ are the best ways to beat a hangover \u2013 other than preventing one itself by not drinking in the first place.<\/p>\n She adds:\u00a0‘Eating a balanced meal with a mix of carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats (e.g. eggs on wholegrain toast, or yoghurt with fruit may also be effective.<\/p>\n ‘You can include gentle, easy\u2013to\u2013digest foods if nausea is an issue, such as toast, bananas or soup.<\/p>\n ‘Focusing on hydration, nourishment, and moderation with alcohol in the first place is effective. I advise my patients alternate alcoholic drinks with water in between \u2013 keeping to under 14 units a week and spreading this over at least three\u2013to\u2013four days.’<\/p>\n Ms Hope recommends consuming\u00a0‘water with a pinch of salt and a splash of orange juice’ which, she says, is ‘a far better way to support optimal hydration’.\u00a0<\/p>\n She adds: ‘Always ensure you’re drinking a glass of water between alcoholic drinks to reduce the risk of dehydration.<\/p>\n ‘Where possible, try to opt for a protein and nutrient rich breakfast such as eggs with avocado on sourdough toast or a protein packed smoothie with yoghurt, banana, oats, peanut butter, spinach and milk and a glass of water as a healthier way to manage a hangover.\u00a0<\/p>\n ‘Additionally, getting some movement in can also help you to feel better, a simple walk in the fresh air can often be more manageable than a heavy gym session.’<\/p>\n Join the discussion<\/span><\/p>\n What is YOUR go-to hangover cure?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Its recipe is so closely guarded that it is said to be stored in a secure location for use in a national emergency. And with only three people said to know exactly what goes into Irn\u2013Bru \u2013 long hailed by devotees as the ultimate hangover cure \u2013 perhaps that level of caution is understandable. The<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7478,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[520],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-7477","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-hot"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7477","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7477"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7477\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7478"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Irn-Bru](\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2026\/04\/03\/11\/107634673-15703789-image-a-66_1775212375634.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nWhat is in Irn\u2013Bru?<\/h2>\n
What happens to your body during a hangover?<\/h2>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2026\/04\/03\/12\/107634275-15703789-image-a-71_1775214592309.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nSo, should Irn\u2013Bru be used to combat a hangover?<\/h2>\n
What do Irn\u2013Bru say?<\/h2>\n
![\"Irn-Bru](\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2026\/04\/03\/12\/107634279-15703789-Irn_Bru_released_a_1901_version_of_the_drink_containing_more_sug-m-73_1775216070205.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nWhat experts say you should have instead…<\/h2>\n