First let's acknowledge that the best hangover avoidance trick is too not drink too much in the first place. Now that that's said, we can move on to discussing how to prevent, or recover from, the consequences of alcohol overindulgence.
Since party season is in full swing and New Year's Eve is days away, the internet has been awash in the news that eating asparagus may be among the best hangover prevention strategies. Korean scientists used the extracts of asparagus shoots and leaves on liver cells from both humans and rats and found that the asparagus protected the cells from toxicity.
"These results provide evidence of how the biological functions of asparagus can help alleviate alcohol hangover and protect liver cells," said the researchers in a statement.
While this makes an interesting New Year's Eve-timed headline, it's not useful, since the fact that asparagus extracts benefit cells in a petri dish doesn't necessarily mean that eating asparagus will protect your head or stomach from the effects of too much Champagne. Plus, asparagus isn't even in season.
Some more time-proven and practical ways to avoid a hangover:
- Alternate alcoholic drinks with glasses of water.
- Be sure to eat throughout the night.
- Drink a super-sized glass of water before bed.
- If you know you've had too much to drink, take an ibuprofen or two before you go to sleep.
But if these measures fail you (or you forget to try them) and you're suffering the unpleasant consequences of alcohol consumption, you might try this doctor-approved smoothie, which The Doctors TV show claims is the best hangover remedy around. It involves vegetable juice, soy milk, salt and some more ingredients said to replenish the body, the combination of which doesn't sound like it would hit the spot if you had a doozy of a hangover, but hey, if an actual doctor recommends it it might be worth a try.
More about the health consequences of alcohol:
