"Beer before wine and you'll feel fine."

These seven words are practically our mantra on a Saturday night out - but unfortunately for all of us who enjoy a tipple, it seems that it might not actually be true.

A recent study looked into whether the order of your drinks has an effect on the magnitude of your hangover. And, news flash: if you drink too much alcohol, you will be hungover no matter what.

While this revelation may seem obvious to some, to other drinkers who relied on the idea that if they played their cards right with the order of their alcoholic bevvies, they could avoid 24 hours of torture the next day, it's fairly devastating news.

The study saw researchers ply 90 volunteers with beer and white wine to order to settle the debate once and for all. Those who partook were aged 19 to 40 and were given a standardised meal tailored to their individual energy requirements, then split into three groups.

The first group drank about two and a half pints of lager followed by four large glasses of white wine. The second had the same drinks but in reverse order, while the third and final group had beer or wine up to the same breath alcohol concentration. Every volunteer drank up to 0.11 per cent, so they would have the same alcohol level in their systems.

Throughout the night, researchers monitored and quizzed the participants on how drunk they felt. Then, before bedtime, each person was given a glass of water, the size depending on their body weight.

After a night under medical supervision, they were asked to rate how awful their hangovers were and scored on the acute hangover scale, which takes into account factors including thirst, fatigue, headache, dizziness.

The next morning was seemingly vomit-filled, with those who threw up the ones most likely to rate their hangover as severe. Urgh - we've all been there!

After a week to get over their headaches, the volunteers returned and did it all again. This time, however, the people who drank beer before wine on their first visit started on the wine, and vice versa. In addition, those who had drunk only beer were given wine and vice versa again.

The results, published Thursday in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, showed that there was no difference in the intensity of a hangover brought on by drinking wine first followed by beer, or the other way around.

Speaking about the study, Kai Hensel, a senior clinical fellow at Cambridge University, one of the researchers involved, confirmed that drink order had no effect on your sore head the next morning.

"Everyone knows the saying, “beer before wine and you’ll feel fine; wine before beer and you’ll feel queer," he said. "We thought there must be something in it, how can we test it? We debunked the saying, it’s not true. You’re going to be the same whatever order you drink these beverages in."

He made it clear, however, that the study only compared beer with white wine, and did not include red wine, spirits or dark beers.

"The truth is that drinking too much of any alcoholic drink is likely to result in a hangover," added Jöran Köchling, the first author on the study from Witten/Herdecke University in Germany. "The only reliable way of predicting how miserable you’ll feel the next day is by how drunk you feel and whether you are sick. We should all pay attention to these red flags when drinking."

So, there you have it, folks. If you do the crime, you do the time! Gutted.

1. It could kill you

Sorry to start off so strong, but if you're going to read anything on this list, it should be this. Alcohol abuse poses the greatest risk for death, illness and disability in people aged 15-49.

2. It's horrendously calorific

Made a New Year's resolution to lose a few pounds? Just quitting drinking could be enough to shift some of that stubborn weight that's been hanging around your gut. The average pint of beer contains just over 200 calories, while a regular glass of wine has about 120.

3. It will mess with your sleeping habits

While you might think you pass out quicker and get a deeper kip after you've had a drink, boozy beverages actually disrupt your sleep overall. If you do this too often, your mental and physical health will seriously suffer.

4. Just one binge could hurt you

Like many people reading this, you might be thinking, "yeah, but I only drink a few times a month, so this doesn't apply to me." Unfortunately, just one episode of binge drinking can cause bacteria to leak out of your gut and get into your bloodstream and - as you may have guessed - that's not exactly a desirable outcome.

5. It literally alters your brain

Have you ever been so drunk that you couldn't remember what you did? Well, it turns out that being drunk doesn't cause you to forget things - it actually prevents you from creating memories in the first place. So no matter how hard you try, you'll never be able to remember what you said to your best friend's girlfriend at that New Year's Eve party.

6. It can cause cancer

More than three in 10 instances of cancer could be prevented if people consumed less alcohol and tobacco, and instead lived a more active lifestyle. Again, it's a scary one - but it's true.

7. Alcohol poisoning is serious

Many people might think that alcohol poisoning just causes you to throw up a little, and that's it. In reality, it kills six people every single day in the USA, and can cause lasting damage in those who survive it.

8. It can destroy your mental health

Over the last ten years, the number of people aged between 15 and 59 who were in hospital because of alcohol-related mental or behavioral issues has increased by 94 per cent. For those aged between 60 and 77, it increased by 150 per cent.

9. It makes people violent

We often hear stories of people getting into drunken arguments, but the extent to which alcohol affects people's capacity for violence is probably beyond most of our expectations. Astoundingly, 70 per cent of violence during weekends and weekday nights is caused by drinking.

10. Being sober for just one month could change your life

If you quit alcohol for the whole of January, you could see an improvement in your liver function, a decrease in your blood sugar, and a reduced risk of liver disease and diabetes. You'll also sleep better, be at a lower risk for depression, and see an improvement in your brain function.

Nothing better than a beer, is there? Feeling sad? Have a beer. Feeling happy? Celebrate with a beer. Is it too hot? Have a beer. Is it freezing outside? Go and have a beer. Beer is a cure-all. Beer is comforting. Beer, above all else, is a friend. However, it does have its downside.

As one famous prophet once said: "To Alcohol! The cause and solution to all of life's problems!"

Yes, I know it's delicious. Yes, I know it's refreshing. And yes, I know it gets you hammered. But, beer - apparently - is not good for you.

Some people called beer "liquid bread," others call it "empty calories," but, to be fair to them, they do have science to back them up. While beer may give you a gut and give you a splitting headache, it does actually have some legitimate benefits to the male body.

Essentially, if you want to increase your fertility, get down to a pub and have a beer.

In a recent study published by researchers at the Policlinico hospital's fertility clinic in Milan, Italy, it was revealed that men who drink the equivalent of one beer a day produce more sperm than their non-drinking counterparts.

323 male patients were tested on with varying degrees of weekly alcohol intakes. 30 per cent of those tested, reported that they consumed around 1-3 drinks per week, 30 per cent reported having 4-7 drinks per week, and 30 per cent said that they have 8 or more drinks per week.

The men in the two groups that consumed more alcohol had "significantly higher sperm concentration" than those who had 1-3 weekly drinks. And, on top of this, men who had 4-7 weekly drinks also had a "significantly higher median semen volume" than those who had 1-3 weekly drinks.

However,  researchers also tested 39 men who reported that they drank 14 or more drinks per week, but "no statistically or clinically significant association was observed".

The results from the study also seemed to suggest that the antioxidants from grapes in wine, and a compound that is commonly found in beer hops called Xanthohumol, also help to protect sperms cells from damage.

So, while beer may not be beneficiary if you're on a diet and trying to shed some extra pounds, moderate alcohol content does appear to have a positive effect on the quality of a man's semen.

However, before you head out on the lash in order to boost your sperm count, Prof Allan Pacey, from the University of Sheffield, said: “It’s OK to have a glass of beer or wine with dinner but if you are trying for a baby a night on the lash should be avoided.”

Not only that, but Prof Simon Fishel, from CARE Fertility, said: “I would not use alcohol as a means to try to boost a low sperm count.”

So while beer may help boost your sperm count, it's important to remember that you should not go overboard. Still, though, it's enough of an excuse to have another pint, isn't it?

We'll drink to that!

We each have our own health and fitness journeys, but we can all agree that they are super difficult to stick to - no matter where we are in the journey. When you have a big event coming up, say a holiday or reunion and we think we haven't quite got where we need to be, this usually means doubling down on the lean meals and small portions and intensifying the exercise. But to what means?

If you’re frequently skipping meals or doubling up on workouts without significantly changing your meal plan, beware: your body is going to start begging you to eat more. Not eating or drinking enough before your workout doesn't just mess up your gains, it also puts your health at risk, increasing your chances of serious injury.

The real question is: how do you know how much to eat? Well, it all depends on what you're aiming for and whereabouts you feel you are in your journey. The key is to feel good about it and not to do anything unrealistic. You're not going to drop four sizes in a week, so don't abuse your body thinking you can.

NYC-based Sports Dietitian Natalie Rizzo says: “In reality, most guys shouldn’t pay attention to every little calorie in and out, unless they start to notice a significant drop or gain in weight. But you can get a good idea about whether or not you need to increase or decrease your calories and macronutrients based on your activity level and type of activity.”

Luckily, a lot of this is pretty intuitive: if you're doing more cardio/endurance-focused work, you should eat more carbs to keep you fuelled, while if you're doing a ton of strength training, you should eat more protein to keep your muscles from wearing down, Rizzo says. Because everyone's metabolism and activity level is different, a lot of it involves just listening to your body and figuring out what works best for you. Buy measuring cups to help fine tune your portions.

Want a little more accuracy that will help you know exactly how to avoid getting that exhausted, totally depleted feeling midway through your workout? There are a few things that can help with that too.

You should try to eat according to your fitness goals. What does that mean? At the very least, you should have a snack within an hour before your workout. But in terms of larger meals, that largely depends on what kind of workout you'll be doing.

For long bouts of endurance activity, opt for a carb-heavy meal two to three hours before a workout to give you the fuel to maintain your energy, says Rizzo. “A carb-heavy diet would include tons of fresh fruit, veggies, and whole grains," such as a pasta dish with cauliflower and chicken, she says.

For someone who wants to build muscle mass but doesn’t engage in much endurance activity, a more protein-heavy diet, featuring "lean meats, like turkey, chicken, fish, and other lean sources of protein, like eggs and legumes,” is best.

You also gotta drink plenty of fluids, not just the water that comes with the meal deal. “Many men don’t want to eat before exercise because they think the food will sit in their stomach and cause cramps and belly aches. But fuelling can be as simple as drinking an 8-ounce glass of 100% juice,” Rizzo says. Fluids you lose through sweat should be replaced with plenty of water.

All of this should help maximise what you get out of your workout, so do this a couple of times a week and you could see some abs sooner rather than later.

Weight

If you've got a few stubborn pounds you can't seem to shift, kicking the drinking habit might just be the way to solve the problem. Alcoholic drinks are often very sugary, and just a couple of pints of beer can be around 600 calories - about the same as a Big Mac. Alcohol itself acts as an appetite stimulant, too, and we all know how tempting a takeaway looks at the end of a heavy night.

Skin 

Aside from causing specific health problems such as Rosacea, excessive drinking can make your skin red and puffy. And, if you don't drink enough water alongside your beer/wine/spirit of choice (and who ever does?), alcohol can dehydrate the body, depriving the skin of vital nutrients. So, if you want a clearer complexion, try swapping that sex on the beach for an orange juice.

Heart

Regular drinking can have some very detrimental effects on the heart. High blood pressure and irregular heart rhythms caused by alcohol consumption can potentially be fatal, and puts frequent drinkers at risk of heart attacks. Obviously, cutting back on the booze reduces these risks, and allows the heart to repair itself from previous damage.

Liver

When we think of heavy drinking, we think of liver damage. Though the organ has the ability to regenerate itself, it can still be badly damaged by regular alcohol consumption. Quitting alcohol will prevent further damage, and allow the liver to keep on performing its (very important) job of filtering unwanted chemicals from our blood.

Kidneys

Like the heart and liver, the kidneys perform a vital role. They are responsible for making sure we have enough water in our bodies - but alcohol interferes with their ability to do this. I'm sure I don't need to spell it out for you, but basically: no alcohol = no interference. Simple as that.

Digestion

Even the smallest amount of alcohol can cause the stomach to produce more acid than usual, which, in severe cases, can cause gastritis. The symptoms of this include vomiting, diarrhoea, and sometimes even bleeding. Quitting the hard stuff eliminates these problems, and allows for smoother digestion.

Sleep

Everybody is supposed to have six or seven cycles of REM sleep a night, but, if alcohol is consumed, that number can drop to one or two. This leaves you feeling tired and sluggish in the morning - and that's before the hangover kicks in. Going sober encourages a healthier and more regular sleep pattern.

Mental Health

Obviously, getting more sleep aids in improving mental health, but quitting drinking has many other positive effects on the brain. Alcohol is a depressant, and - as well as causing anxiety - excessive consumption will make you feel lower than usual. Avoiding excessive alcohol consumption will improve brain function and overall happiness; and who doesn't want that?