Many people have the experience of drinking on a date and drinking. The next day, they have a severe headache and an unpleasant hangover. At this time, I found out that there are many products related to hangover or hangover on the market. They claim that people will not get drunk after a thousand cups. Magical effect? Or are these things just a gimmick, and the purchase is a psychological comfort?

So-called hangover products may not have the expected effect

In fact, some hangover or hangover products are products that are on the verge of violations, including the content marked in the ingredients, many of which have no hangover or hangover effect, and even some unscrupulous merchants deliberately confuse liver protection, hangover, The use of hangover has made consumers confused, and they bought the product if they did not understand it.

Through the process of alcohol metabolism, understand the real way to hangover

Since we talk about hangover, we need to know how the alcohol we drink is metabolized by the body.

Regardless of beer, liquor, whiskey, red wine, etc., after a cup of yellow soup, what really makes people feel high and euphoric is ethanol, and ethanol will be metabolized by two enzymes and then excreted by the body. First, it is converted into acetaldehyde by alcohol dehydrogenase, and acetaldehyde is toxic to the human body, which can cause headache, nausea and vomiting, and this is the main reason for the feeling of intoxication. Aldehyde dehydrogenase is converted into acetic acid, which has little effect on the human body and is finally excreted.

Therefore, depending on the activity of acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, some people do not get drunk in a thousand cups, and some people pour it in one cup. Generally speaking, in Asians, aldehyde dehydrogenase is not active, so most people are prone to flushing, dizziness and other discomforts after drinking alcohol. Whether a hangover product can really hangover depends on whether it can accelerate the metabolism of acetaldehyde.

What are the ingredients in most hangover products?

Most of the hangover products sold on the market add some of the same ingredients. Some say it can reduce alcohol absorption, some say it can accelerate alcohol metabolism, and some protect the liver. Which product have you bought?

1. Reduce alcohol absorption: Pueraria

The daidzein and isoflavones in Pueraria can reduce the permeability of the gastrointestinal mucosa, slow down gastric emptying, and thus reduce the rate of alcohol absorption. In addition, puerarin has a protective effect on the liver, which can reduce the damage to the liver. Moreover, kudzu inhibits acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, resulting in an increase in acetaldehyde, which makes people feel uncomfortable after drinking, and can be used to stop drinking.

Therefore, Pueraria’s so-called hangover is mainly by delaying the method of getting drunk, but it cannot increase the amount of alcohol!

2. Accelerate alcohol metabolism: Gehua, Antrodia cinnamomea

Gehua can help the metabolism of acetaldehyde! The isoflavones contained in kudzu can even reduce the hepatic transaminase index to protect the liver and prevent hepatic steatosis.

Animal studies have shown that Antrodia camphorata extract can indeed increase alcohol dehydrogenase and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, thereby reducing the concentration of alcohol in the body. On the other hand, it reduces inflammation and fibrosis in the liver and reduces the production of free radicals.

Although these two kinds of drugs are commonly used in the folk, there is no particularly rigorous human experiment at present. It is believed that Gehua and Antrodia cinnamomea are effective in relieving hangovers.

At present, most of the ingredients that claim to accelerate alcohol metabolism lack sufficient human research!

3. Protect the liver: glutathione, aurantium, emblica extract

Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant and one of the most important elements in the process of liver detoxification. Therefore, it is known as the holy product for liver protection. Although glutathione can maintain the detoxification function of the liver, it can at most make the liver normal. Metabolizing alcohol does not speed up metabolism.

Aurantium chinensis contains dihydromyricetin, which can increase the activity of alcohol dehydrogenase, help metabolize alcohol and reduce the toxicity of alcohol to the liver.

The results of modern medical research have shown that Amaryllis can accelerate ethanol metabolism by increasing the activity of ethanol metabolizing enzymes, and reduce the risk of excessive intake due to lipid metabolism regulation, anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation, anti-apoptosis and regulation of related gene expression, etc. Liver damage caused by alcohol.

The main function of the above ingredients is to reduce the damage of alcohol to the liver to maintain the normal speed of the liver to metabolize alcohol. For people with normal liver function, additional supplementation of liver-protecting ingredients will not help them get rid of alcohol. But if you are worried about staying up late to socialize and drinking a lot, maybe these ingredients can protect your internal organs.

4. Improve Hangovers: Turmeric

Turmeric has always been used in hangover, but it has limited effect on helping alcohol metabolism! However, turmeric has a qi-invigorating effect, which can relieve gastrointestinal discomfort or poor metabolism in ordinary people. In addition, turmeric has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, which can reduce the damage of acetaldehyde, so it will be partially helpful for treating hangovers.

5. Nutritional supplements: B vitamins, taurine, amino acids

Vitamin B group is a coenzyme required for the liver to metabolize alcohol, especially vitamins B1, B2, and B3. In addition, B group and taurine also have a refreshing effect and reduce fatigue after drinking, while amino acids are the liver repair process. required nutrients. These ingredients in the role of hangover, at most is to maintain the function of the liver to hangover, but can not enhance the ability to hangover.

Overall, it is a nutritional supplement to reduce fatigue.

Are product claims true to their content?

After understanding the role of various ingredients, let’s talk about how to judge whether the product has a hangover effect, or what ingredients should be added to the product to have the use of hangover.

If you want to increase the amount of alcohol, the product formula needs to have ingredients that can delay the absorption of alcohol, such as kudzu root, or ingredients such as kudzu and Antrodia cinnamomea that can accelerate alcohol metabolism; if you want to sober up faster, you need kudzu that can accelerate alcohol metabolism. Flower, Antrodia camphorata, but there is not enough research to prove the hangover effect of these ingredients, and there is no clear dosage recommendation, so the hangover effect needs to be verified. As for improving a hangover, opting for a formula with ingredients like turmeric, Antrodia camphorata, B vitamins, taurine, and more may help.

Having said that, acetaldehyde dehydrogenase is not active in most Chinese people. If you drink a glass of wine, you will get drunk. Don’t think that drinking a few hangover products will make you not drunk after a thousand drinks. It is completely impossible. thing. There is no shortcut to hangover, only drink plenty of water and wait for the liver to slowly metabolize the alcohol.

There are hangover products that claim to hangover in 30 minutes, is that true?

Impossible, most of the studies claiming to increase the speed of alcohol metabolism are animal studies, and there is no obvious evidence from human research data. At the normal rate at which the human body can metabolize 8-10 grams of pure alcohol per hour, even if the metabolism can be increased by 30%, a bottle of beer will take 42 minutes, and it is impossible to get rid of alcohol within 30 minutes!

Honey water, milk, watermelon juice, useful for hangover?

Sugar and milk in food or drinks can hinder the absorption of alcohol and delay the entry of alcohol into the blood, so it is recommended to eat with sweets or fruits before drinking. If you are already drunk, drinking more honey water or milk will not help!

Learning to avoid drinking or not drinking is the best way to get rid of alcohol. If you really have to drink, master the following principles to avoid getting drunk:

1. Choose sugary alcohol, or use it with sweets

2. Do not drink with carbonated drinks, or carbonated alcoholic drinks

3. Don’t drink on an empty stomach