If you’re looking for a quick hangover fix this holiday season, then an ingredient found in a variety of foods could be the answer.
One study found that an amino acid called L-cysteine can help prevent or relieve hangover-related nausea, headaches, stress, and anxiety.
The chemical, which is often sold as a dietary supplement and found in everything from granola to garlic, is considered important for its role in producing protein within the body and boosting other metabolic functions.
The study conducted by Finnish researchers hypothesized that L-cysteine helps eliminate acetaldehyde in the body, in turn preventing a hangover.
When ethanol, the intoxicating agent in beer, wine and spirits, is ingested, it is converted to acetaldehyde.
The buildup of acetaldehyde is the cause of a hangover.
At high concentrations, it can cause toxic effects such as rapid pulse, sweating, skin redness, nausea, and vomiting.
And the body cannot fully recover until the excess acetaldehyde has been destroyed and digested.
If you’re looking for a quick hangover fix this holiday season, then an ingredient found in a variety of foods could be the answer.
Natural enzymes found in the liver are known to have the ability to remove acetaldehyde, but they do not always act quickly enough.
In the study, published in the journal Alcohol and Alcoholism, researchers at the University of Helsinki tested L-cysteine tablets on a group of men who were ordered to drink alcohol for several hours on six different occasions.
The results showed that men who received the pill reported fewer hangover symptoms such as nausea, headache, stress and anxiety compared to men who received a placebo.
The study included six drinking sessions on subsequent Friday nights, beginning around 7 p.m. and ending at 10 p.m.
Every hour between 7 pm and midnight, participants had to swallow the tablet they had been given.
They were randomly chosen to receive six placebo tablets, six L-cysteine tablets (a dose of 1,200 mg or 600 mg), or three of each.
In the morning, participants rated their level of hangover, nausea, headache, and anxiety on a scale from zero to 10, and stress from zero to 4.
Researchers say that if the pill helps reduce stress and anxiety, people will be less likely to return to drinking to try to avoid or overcome a hangover, also known as a “hair of the dog.”
However, they did highlight that the L-cysteine tablets they administered for the study contained other vitamins, such as B1 and C.
They could not rule out whether these had any kind of effect.
Many hangover remedies include L-cysteine, such as some capsules made by wellness brand Cheers.
Another limitation of the study was that there were only 19 participants and they were all men.
Despite this, experts say there is no harm in adding L-cysteine to your diet, especially after a night of heavy drinking.
Mount Sinai experts say there is evidence to suggest the supplement may also help protect against a variety of other health problems, such as the flu, HIV or AIDS, and certain types of cancer.
They point out that your body produces cysteine from methionine, an essential amino acid.
It is also found in most protein-rich foods, such as ricotta, cottage cheese, yogurt, pork, chicken, sausages, turkey, duck, cold cuts, granola, and rolled oats.
Many hangover remedies include L-cysteine, such as some capsules made by wellness brand Cheers.
The company’s Restore tablets, designed to be taken before bed, contain L-cysteine and dihydromyricetin (DHM), which is an herbal remedy also believed to help with alcohol toxicity.
Since launching in 2014, the company claims to have sold more than 25 million doses of its hangover remedies, making it one of the most popular brands in the alcohol-related health and wellness sector.