- Fermented Foods for Hangover Relief
- The Role of Gut Health in Alcohol Metabolism
- Benefits of Probiotics in Fermented Foods
Those suffering from a weekend hangover may desire a greasy breakfast to alleviate their headache, vertigo, and fatigue.
However, those suffering from the aftereffects of alcohol should consider consuming fermented foods, say experts.
Lucy Kerrison, a registered dietitian based in London, explains that kimchi, kombucha, and kefir improve digestive and liver health, which is essential for the body to better flush alcohol from the system and therefore shorten the duration of a hangover.
According to Ms. Kerrison, fermented foods, which are created by adding microorganisms such as bacteria or yeast to foods such as vegetables, tea, or milk, can also combat dehydration, the cause of many hangover symptoms.
Other nutrition experts say eating these items while hungover has ‘little or no affect’ on alcohol metabolism.
Ms. Kerrison stated, “We know that the liver is responsible for alcohol metabolism. So maintaining a healthy gut and liver can have a positive effect on alcohol metabolism.”
She stated, “The quicker alcohol is metabolized and eliminated from the body, the shorter the hangover.”
Maintaining good gut health can strengthen your intestinal barrier function so that alcohol, a known gut irritant that can affect intestinal motility, permeability, and absorption of nutrients, has less of an effect on you.
She added, ‘If you’re suffering from a hangover, you usually desire salty and carbohydrate-rich foods.
Alcohol dehydrates and sodium induces water retention, thus adding salt to your diet during a hangover is wise.
High-sodium fermented foods, such as kimchi and sauerkraut, can be beneficial.
They also include live bacteria that can help our gut microbiota, which alcohol can destroy.
Fermentation has been used to preserve food for thousands of years, but its health benefits have made it popular.
Among these are kimchi, a Korean dish made from salted and fermented vegetables such as cabbage and radish, kombucha, a carbonated fermented beverage made from sweetened tea, and sauerkraut, which is essentially fermented cabbage.
These fermented foods contain probiotics — foods with live microorganisms that travel to the gut and improve health — which may be an additional reason why they can counteract the effects of alcohol.
According to animal studies, consuming probiotics before imbibing reduces the body’s absorption of alcohol.
Dieticians believe fermented foods can alleviate hangovers due to an additional component present in some fermented foods.
The gut is damaged by alcohol because it alters short-chain fatty acids, which reduce inflammation and modulate the immune system.
According to specialists, alcohol is converted by the body into acetaldehyde and then acetate, which disrupts the ratio of short-chain fatty acids and contributes to hangover symptoms.
However, butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid found in some kombuchas, can aid in restoring the equilibrium.
Butyrate, according to Dr. Duane Mellor, a registered dietitian and senior lecturer at Aston University in Birmingham, delivers more beneficial microorganisms to the colon.
However, consuming fermented foods before imbibing will not prevent a hangover, he cautions.
Dr. Mellor stated, “The majority of alcohol will be absorbed in the upper intestine, so unless you drink excessively, very little will reach the colon, where the majority of bacteria reside.”
Consuming them while inebriated will have “minimal or no effect” on how the body processes alcohol.
“The best way to avoid a hangover is to avoid excessive drinking,” he added.
However, he noted their benefits for general health.
Fermented foods are healthful, but London dietician Tai Ibitoye said they are not a “magical cure” for excessive alcohol intake.
She stated, “Probiotic and fermented foods may aid in the diversification of the gut microbiome and the correction of imbalance.”
‘Some studies suggest that it may aid in the reduction of liver enzymes in alcohol-induced liver injury.
‘However, the evidence is based on small-scale studies and chronic alcohol use; therefore, additional research is required.’
