The day after one too many libations with friends or family, my body seems to instinctively crave a big bowl of pho. This Vietnamese staple’s light but perfectly salty broth, tender slices of beef flank, crisp bean sprouts and cilantro, accompanied by a generous squeeze of lime and sriracha, do wonders to lift my spirits after a bad hangover – or a cold, flu or really any illness.
Ranking hangover foods recently while having drinks with a friend, I wondered: Is there any real scientific benefit to my favorite hangover soup? What, exactly, East The best thing to eat or drink to relieve hangover symptoms? I called an expert to find out.
“I would stress: Balance macronutrients before and after drinking,” says Sara Police, an associate professor in the department of pharmacology and nutritional sciences at the University of Kentucky. “If you know you’re going to go out for St. Patrick’s Day or a festive event [where you anticipate drinking alcohol]it will be helpful to have a full meal.
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There is no scientifically proven “hangover cure” – and although some research groups test legitimate solutionsmost treatments aim to relieve symptoms related to alcohol consumption. If symptoms are severe, people should seek medical attention. Besides abstaining from alcohol, scientists also don’t have a foolproof way to prevent hangover. That said, the police offer science-based nutritional advice that can aid recovery.
What happens during a hangover?
“When thinking about the hangover itself, there is a spectrum of severity,” police explain.
THE amount of alcohol a person has consumedtheir gender, their size and their tolerance for alcohol consumption all influence how bad they might feel after drinking too much. The symptoms are probably familiar to anyone who’s ever overindulged: throbbing headaches, nausea, vomiting, muscle cramps, or severe dehydration. These unpleasant effects are “proof that your body is working very hard to metabolize what you put into it,” police explain. “Your body needs to get rid of ethanol,” the chemical in alcohol that makes people sick.
Most of the work takes place in the liver, where two key enzymesalcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase, ultimately break down ethanol into water and carbon dioxide. But because the body prioritizes eliminating alcohol, it creates a “block” in other metabolic processes, police explain.
The synthesis of glucose (gluconeogenesis) and the transformation of fats (oxidation of fatty acids) slows down. This often causes hypoglycemia or alcohol-induced hypoglycemia, which can cause tremors, anxiety, dizziness, and fatigue. Alcohol also removes the body’s water-conserving hormone, or antidiuretic hormone, which “pulls the drain” on the kidneys and increases urination and the risk of dehydration, police say. Additionally, alcohol heats the body, which can increase the loss of fluids and electrolytes through sweat.
Foods for Recovery
“Alcohol metabolism is costly in terms of energy and nutrients,” explains the police. That’s why she recommends focusing on the overall nutritional value of meals before or after drinking rather than quick fixes.
Such a meal should include a good source of protein, such as eggs, in order to replenish or replenish depleted amino acids, including cysteine and methionine, which are building blocks of protective antioxidants. “Antioxidants fight [unstable molecules known as] free radicals, which damage your cells and can cause inflammation,” she says.
Complex carbohydrates such as whole grains are better options than foods high in sugar, which may briefly improve hypoglycemia symptoms but end up making people sick for longer. “A very dense sugary food will cause your blood sugar to rise – and the faster your blood sugar rises, the faster it drops,” police explain. “Then you’re on a roller coaster between trying to feel good and trying to find a state of balance.”
Before drinking, consuming healthy fats from foods like avocado or salmon can help slow gastric emptying—decrease the rate at which food (including alcohol) is absorbed and ultimately metabolized in the body. Greasy, tempting junk food like pizza, burgers or chips may satisfy the tummy in the moment, but “I don’t know if there is a basis around the nutritional benefits of that,” police say.
Take multivitamins regularly could also help replace essential vitamins and minerals lost during alcohol metabolism, police say. She adds that ginger can also calm the stomach. It stimulates digestive enzymes that fight nausea and has been clinically watch to relieve nausea.
Rehydration is essential. In addition to water, sports drinks or electrolyte powders can help, but police warn against options with a lot of added sugar. She personally prefers coconut water, which naturally contains potassium, magnesium and calcium.
She suggests that soup, like my favorite bowl of pho, might also help with rehydration.
“A savory broth with protein and citrus? I mean, I think it’s great,” Police says: Hot savory broth provides fluids and electrolytes, and lean meat, vegetables, and citrus provide protein and vitamins. After deliberating with the police, I feel more confident about my choice of hangover food.
“I think if it works for you, then eat it, drink it,” she says. “We are, anecdotally, our own personal experience.”
