Put down the ibuprofen, pour out your hair of the dog and don’t even think about brewing another pot of coffee, because researchers at

Sun Yat-Sen University’s School of Public Health have ruled that "Sprite" is the single best way to cure a hangover.

More specifically, the researchers found that the ingredients in Sprite work better than any found in the 56 other tested beverages at breaking down acetaldehyde, a harsh byproduct of alcohol that ultimately ends up lingering in your system after a Friday night of overindulgence. The study was published in the September 2013 issue of Food and Function.

The general consensus in the scientific community is that alcohol by itself is not to blame for the common hangover, but rather it is the result of the body’s natural inability to metabolize alcohol without emitting various metabolic by-products. Acetaldehyde is the primary culprit here, and it is probably the reason your head is pounding so badly. The only way to make the side-effects of a hangover go away is to sit and wait for your body to metabolize its way through the acetaldehyde and convert the evil-doer into a more benign by-product known as acetate.

So where does the Sprite come in? The researchers at Sun Yat-Sen looked through 57 different drink combinations and found that Sprite is apparently the best at speeding up the body’s ability to metabolize acetaldehyde, thus reducing the amount of time you have to spend in misery. Contrary to popular belief, various types of herbal teas didn’t prove to have any benefit to the metabolizing process, and some herbal teas were found to even extend the total length of the hangover.

So there you have it. No need to eat a big meal before going out. In fact, don’t even bother wasting crucial minutes of your weekend drinking a boring glass of water before bed. Seriously, just drink a Sprite when you wake up and you’ll be fine. And then send your complaints to Sun Yat-Sen University when you find yourself once again laying on the couch watching Netflix all Saturday.