Expert Hacks for Preventing a Hangover
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Hangovers can manifest in a variety of ways, but physiologically speaking, they are the result of drinking more than your liver can process at one time. And any time you drink to the point of intoxication, there’s a risk of a hangover, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).
That rate varies depending on many factors but is generally estimated to be around one standard drink — 12 ounces (oz) of beer, 5 oz of wine, or a single shot of 80-proof liquor — per hour, says Laura Veach, PhD, a professor and addiction research specialist at the Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
While there are no scientifically backed cures for a hangover, there are ways to help lessen the blow. Read on to discover what experts say are some safer sipping strategies that may help prevent hangovers.
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What Is a Hangover?
The torment that ensues after a night of being overserved can vary from person to person, and may include headache, thirst, upset stomach (nausea or vomiting), fatigue, and irritability, according to Robert Swift, MD, PhD, a professor at the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.
These symptoms are the result of how your body metabolizes alcohol. Unlike other foods and drinks, some of the alcohol you drink enters the bloodstream directly through the lining of the stomach. The rest passes through the small intestine to the liver, where enzymes break it down, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One of the by-products of this process is acetaldehyde, a toxin that contributes to inflammation in the liver, pancreas, brain, gastrointestinal tract, and other organs.
“Alcohol causes the release of inflammatory compounds in the brain and bloodstream, the effect of which can last until the alcohol has been released from your body,” says Dr. Swift. “The same compounds are released during an infection and can cause flu-like symptoms.”
This may explain why familiar hangover symptoms include nausea, headache, irritability, oversensitivity to sound and lights, and a general desire to just pull the covers up and stay in bed, says Dr. Veach.
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Can Diet Prevent a Hangover?
Since alcohol has an inflammatory effect on our bodies, it would make sense that we could possibly fight a hangover by fueling our bodies with anti-inflammatory foods to counteract the physiological effects of booze.
Research has taken a look at two such anti-inflammatory agents, zinc and niacin, which is also called vitamin B3. These nutrients are known to aid in the rapid elimination of ethanol and acetaldehyde, two by-products of alcohol metabolism, according to a study in the Journal of Clinical Medicine. The study was small, involving just 23 people, but it found that those who had higher levels of nicotinic acid (niacin) and zinc in their diets reported less severe hangover symptoms compared with those with lower levels.
So it can’t hurt to load up on foods that are rich in zinc such as legumes like lentils and beans, meat, and shellfish — bring on the oyster tower! — or nicotinic acid like fish, poultry, avocados, peanuts, whole grains, and mushrooms.
Does Asparagus Prevent a Hangover?
A recent viral TikTok video popularized the claim that eating asparagus can prevent a hangover. The claim likely arose from the findings of a study that indicated that amino acids and minerals in asparagus extract may protect liver cells from toxins in alcohol. But it’s important to note that the study only looked at asparagus extract on human liver cells in isolation, and so considerably more research is needed to know whether eating asparagus would have the same effects.
Swift notes that putting any food in your stomach before drinking will slow the absorption of alcohol into your blood and potentially reduce the total amount that enters the bloodstream, therefore lessening symptoms. “Your best bet would be to include food with a mix of fats, protein, and fiber, since they are better at slowing the alcohol release from the stomach,” he says.
Can Supplements Help Prevent Hangovers?
The idea of a pill you can pop to prevent a hangover is nice, and a study from 2020 tested one. Again, the study was small, involving only 19 Finnish men, and it was funded by the company that manufactured the supplements, which contained L-cysteine, an amino acid, as well as other micronutrients. L-cysteine has been shown to help block the effects of acetaldehyde, one of alcohol’s hangover-inducing by-products.
After drinking alcohol for three hours, the men took either 600 milligrams (mg) or 1,200 mgs of L-cysteine or a placebo. Those who took the supplements reported lower levels of nausea, headaches and anxiety the next morning than those who took a placebo.
Of course, experts are rightfully skeptical of these results. “The research needs to be repeated by other researchers under different conditions,” says Swift. Cysteine could work by being converted to an antioxidant called glutathione that can reduce alcohol-induced inflammation in the liver, he says, but more rigorous testing would need to be done.
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What Does Help Soothe a Hangover
The evidence that any one food, nutrient, or supplement can help cure a hangover is preliminary at best. Right now, the only sure way to prevent a hangover is to not drink alcohol, says Swift.
If you do imbibe, drinking slowly, eating beforehand to slow the absorption of alcohol in your stomach, and alternating nonalcoholic beverages with alcoholic ones to stay properly hydrated can all help lessen alcohol’s aftereffects. Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it encourages urination, so you’ll lose more fluids than normal. Mild dehydration can result in hangover symptoms such as thirst, fatigue, and headache, according to the NIAAA.
The type of alcohol you indulge in can also make a difference. There is evidence that some people are sensitive to compounds other than alcohol in certain drinks. Many wines, for instance, contain sulfites, which can trigger headaches, according to a study. Choosing a sulfite-free wine may help. Similarly, dark spirits like bourbon tend to have higher levels of compounds known as congeners, which may worsen hangover symptoms for some people. Sticking to clear spirits like vodka may help in those cases, according to the NIAAA.
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