Eat this snack before drinking alcohol to lower hangover odds: doc
Gin-ius idea?
Alcohol consumption tends to increase in Wet February — the month ushered in by Dry January — and so does the likelihood of hangovers.
Dr. Neena Chandrasekaran, a pulmonary critical care physician in South Florida, recently suggested that a popular food can help prevent the sickening feeling that follows a night of heavy boozing.
“If you are going for a night out on the town, and you are going to drink alcohol, eating cheese before drinking alcohol can decrease your risk of having a hangover,” Chandrasekaran said on TikTok.
“Cheese has a lot of protein, fat and complex carbs that can coat the stomach, which decreases the absorption of alcohol,” she added.
Chandrasekaran reported that cheese can help the body better metabolize beer and cocktails, potentially reducing liver damage.
A 2023 study out of Korea indicated that probiotic cheese enriched with Lactococcus lactis and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum bacteria can reduce hangover symptoms by enhancing the liver’s ability to process alcohol via the activation of specific signaling pathways.
Lactococcus lactis is commonly found in cheddar, brie and camembert cheeses while Lactiplantibacillus plantarum contributes to the ripening of cheddar and feta.
Cheese can also help replenish nutrients lost to alcohol, such as B vitamins and calcium, Chandrasekaran said. Blue cheese and camembert have particularly high levels of B vitamins, while Parmesan is rich in calcium.
“Calcium, which can be depleted through alcohol, specifically helps to improve nerve and muscle function,” she explained. “B vitamins are needed for energy and metabolism.”
Hangovers are notoriously hard to research because they are tough to replicate in a lab, so finding a cure-all has been difficult. Experts suggest alternating between water and alcohol to help prevent dehydration, a major contributor to hangover symptoms.
If you’re already hungover, one New York dietitian nutritionist recommends consuming bananas, avocados, ginger or wheat toast to ease the aches and pains and avoiding fried, greasy and spicy foods, coffee and more alcohol.
“Just remember, no alcohol is better than any alcohol,” Chandrasekaran declared.
