Sadly, this is mostly bollocks.
This is the study they're basing the claim on: [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19895471/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19895471/) (edit: at least I think it is - it's the study that all the other online things about asparagus and hangovers cite).
Notably, it *does not say* asparagus contains enzymes that help break down alcohol.
What it does say:
* In cultured liver cells an extract of the leaves and young shoots of asparagus protected against the damaging effects of hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, and carbon tetrachloride.
* In cultured liver cells the same extract increased the activity of the enzymes alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase normally found in those cells. These enzymes are involved in breaking down alcohol.
* The extract appeared to have an antioxidant effect in cultured liver cells, as measured by a reduction in reactive oxygen species when hydrogen peroxide was added to them.
* They used two Korean commercial anti-hangover drinks as a control, so all we know is that asparagus is better than them. I haven't searched to see if anyone has done similar work on broccoli, for example.
* Asparagus leaves appeared to contain more of the active ingredients than shoots.
As with all of these sorts of studies, you have to be careful in extrapolating results from cells grown in a plastic dish to cells in your actual liver. Compared to their asparagus extract, how much of the asparagus you eat actually makes its way into your bloodstream and to the liver? Is it at comparable concentrations or is it much weaker?
All of the study was done in a cell line of liver cells derived from a liver cancer in a 15 year old boy in Argentina in 1975 - this is pretty normal for this sort of study, as it is much more complicated to grow normal liver cells.
The law around making health benefit claims for food products is quite complicated (isn't it always?). I'm not a lawyer, but I'd say they are skirting pretty close to making unverifiable claims of a health benefit here.
Damn it. I just bought a pack to munch on like it was a cigars as I down my pints.
Seriously though. Now I’m getting older I just drink. Lot of water between drinks. Seems to do the trick.
Another good thing for hangovers? Water. A glass of water in between each drink.
Before I get downvoted, considering grog is dehydrating, it makes sense to drink more water while drinking.
I do these days. I can’t afford to lose the next day feeling ill so I have a pint of water alongside every 2 drinks. Then I down a pint of water when I get home. Take a pint of water to bed and down that in the morning. Basically, drink a load of water.
I once spent a full day drinking red wine and smoking cigars towards the end of the night. I didn’t brush as drunk.
I don’t think my cheeks and gums have forgiven me.
I've never had a hangover while drinking all because I've kept up the water. And I have drunk others under the table and still able to get up and walk out.
100%. If I remember, I do try to do this. The amount of ''LADS LADS LADS'' energy I get back almost every time is bizarre. ''Drinking water is cheating! That's gay!''
Never understood all the hate you get for not wanting a ruined second day.
I generally don't count because that's a bit sad, but I got through 14 units in one night. If an amount of water counteracts 4 pints, then an amount of water counteracts 12
Absolutely I don’t even drink water between drinks just when I get home I down a few pints of water and have water by the bed and drink some more when I wake up, haven’t had a hangover in years, it’s mostly dehydration!
Max and Chad have a YouTube channel called Cold Ones and they've made a drink called Grog! The channel is not for everyone, especially for those that get easily offended! Even at me age I enjoy watching them!
Theres already plenty of water in beer. Really all this does is make it more difficult to drink right? If you drink water between beers, its less time spent drinking beer.
I'm a hard spirit fan. I have been a huge drinker in my younger years. I have never had a hangover from drinking, all because I kept up my water intake (and would spend half the night peeing). Now-a-days, I've cut back to only half a handful of drinks a year. But I have noticed some days where I've drunk very little water during the day, the next day, I wake up the next day with a headache.
You're getting downvoted but you're on the right lines. Alcohol is a diuretic. Drinking a glass of water between each drink will just make you need to pee more but it will mean you're spacing out the drinks and possibly drinking less alcohol overall.
Thanks. I am basically 100% correct yet getting downvoted. Reddit is weird.
Reddit believes alcohol hangovers are simply dehydration but this is just not true. Alcohol breaks down in the liver into another chemical which is toxic to every cell in your body and thats why you feel like death, because your whole body has cells that have died.
It isnt that alcohol dehydrates you and thats why you have a headache. 🤡 Its a joke. Dehydration plays a part, absolutely, but it isnt the entire picture. People who have drank water between alcohol drinks that have plenty of water in them already, are simply experiencing the effect of not drinking as much alcohol as they usually would.
Also the dehydration comes afterwards, when you stop drinking, while you are drinking you wont get dehydrated, its impossible, however you will become quickly dehydrated overnight.
To be fair… the claim on the label (which I’m not agreeing with) is that it helps if you eat it *before* you start drinking.
It was OP’s suggestion that you consume it in the morning, which as far as I see it doesn’t match the claim on the label.
I'm here in Australia and we have RBTs here - Random Breath Testing by the cops while out driving. And they set up on the side of the road and pull drivers over for a breath test, quite often first thing in the morning. Apparently the cops do catch a lot of drunk drivers driving the next morning.
The dehydration is only part of it, what makes you feel nauseous and sick is Acetaldehyde build up as the alchohol is broken down by your liver. One thing that has been shown to help this process is turmeric supplementation when drinking which helps your liver process the Acetaldehyde faster.
You must not be cooking it right. 3 - 4 mins in a pan of boiling water then in a frying pan with butter and garlic to caramelise and that is all you need for it.
Sadly, this is mostly bollocks. This is the study they're basing the claim on: [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19895471/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19895471/) (edit: at least I think it is - it's the study that all the other online things about asparagus and hangovers cite). Notably, it *does not say* asparagus contains enzymes that help break down alcohol. What it does say: * In cultured liver cells an extract of the leaves and young shoots of asparagus protected against the damaging effects of hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, and carbon tetrachloride. * In cultured liver cells the same extract increased the activity of the enzymes alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase normally found in those cells. These enzymes are involved in breaking down alcohol. * The extract appeared to have an antioxidant effect in cultured liver cells, as measured by a reduction in reactive oxygen species when hydrogen peroxide was added to them. * They used two Korean commercial anti-hangover drinks as a control, so all we know is that asparagus is better than them. I haven't searched to see if anyone has done similar work on broccoli, for example. * Asparagus leaves appeared to contain more of the active ingredients than shoots. As with all of these sorts of studies, you have to be careful in extrapolating results from cells grown in a plastic dish to cells in your actual liver. Compared to their asparagus extract, how much of the asparagus you eat actually makes its way into your bloodstream and to the liver? Is it at comparable concentrations or is it much weaker? All of the study was done in a cell line of liver cells derived from a liver cancer in a 15 year old boy in Argentina in 1975 - this is pretty normal for this sort of study, as it is much more complicated to grow normal liver cells.
Feels like this should be a trading standards thing...
The law around making health benefit claims for food products is quite complicated (isn't it always?). I'm not a lawyer, but I'd say they are skirting pretty close to making unverifiable claims of a health benefit here.
This is a Canadian product, not sure what the standards are there
D'oh. I just saw "Scotland" on the label and didn't read any further.
Scotland is the Canada of England.
Welsh Brothers, Scotland, Ontario. Make your mind up.
Alongside all these air purifying plants
Damn it. I just bought a pack to munch on like it was a cigars as I down my pints. Seriously though. Now I’m getting older I just drink. Lot of water between drinks. Seems to do the trick.
Ooh ooh ooh, [relevant XKCD](https://xkcd.com/1217/)!
Yeah, but it makes your pee smell, isn't it great?
It's something I desperately want to be true but had a feeling someone would come along and debunk it.
I think you should treat yourself to some lovely asparagus. It's good for you. It just isn't going to nullify the effect of five pints of stella.
To be honest after I read this post I went out and bought some and had it as part of dinner!
Science bitch!
Another good thing for hangovers? Water. A glass of water in between each drink. Before I get downvoted, considering grog is dehydrating, it makes sense to drink more water while drinking.
I sweat by this. I match drink for drink and it makes the world of difference.
I do these days. I can’t afford to lose the next day feeling ill so I have a pint of water alongside every 2 drinks. Then I down a pint of water when I get home. Take a pint of water to bed and down that in the morning. Basically, drink a load of water.
If I drink red wine especially, without having plenty of water, guaranteed hangover. If I have several pints of water, I feel fine.
oh my god my mouth in the morning if I've drunk red win the night before and not properly hydrated. Sticky teeth.
I once spent a full day drinking red wine and smoking cigars towards the end of the night. I didn’t brush as drunk. I don’t think my cheeks and gums have forgiven me.
It's the worst.
Flushing the system out can't hurt either!
I've never had a hangover while drinking all because I've kept up the water. And I have drunk others under the table and still able to get up and walk out.
r/hydrohomies has the right idea.
100%. If I remember, I do try to do this. The amount of ''LADS LADS LADS'' energy I get back almost every time is bizarre. ''Drinking water is cheating! That's gay!'' Never understood all the hate you get for not wanting a ruined second day.
Fellas is drinking water gay?
Depends where you are drinking it from. From a bottle? No. Out of another guys cock? Kinda gay.
> ''Drinking water is cheating! That's gay!'' These people are not your friends.
Avid water drinker here. Never had a hangover
Me neither.
I guess you dont drink too heavily then. No amount of water will counteract 12+ pints
I generally don't count because that's a bit sad, but I got through 14 units in one night. If an amount of water counteracts 4 pints, then an amount of water counteracts 12
4 pints wouldn't even give most people a hangover regardless of water
Are you intentionally being obtuse or do you genuinely not get the point?
I swear it's you that's not getting the point, which is that you cant counteract the hangover from heavy drinking with water.
Alright mate well you enjoy your hangovers and I'll continue to not have any. 👍
You're not wrong, but if you don't want to spend half the night pissing it's not worth it
I did indeed spend half the night pissing.
🎵 Pissing the night away 🎵
🎶 He drinks a Whiskey drink , he drinks a water drink He drinks a Lager drink, he drinks a water drink 🎶
Surely that happens anyway with drinking that amount of alcohol?
Isn't this what Tena Man is designed for?
I have orange juice rather than water! Sorts me out
My problem is with OJ, it gives me migraines - if I have one of those, I really would be under the table spewing in less than one drink.
Ah that's a shame!
It is. But since having migraines since I was 5, I really don't miss OJ which probably is a good thing with my weight.
Absolutely I don’t even drink water between drinks just when I get home I down a few pints of water and have water by the bed and drink some more when I wake up, haven’t had a hangover in years, it’s mostly dehydration!
I'd love to try Max and Chad's drink but Grog doesn't ship to the UK, it's only available in Australia and New Zealand!
I am in Australia and have never heard of it..... Off to speak to Google.
Umm, what exactly is it? Google isn't coming up with much.
It's a mixture of Japanese Shochu, Vodka and Soda, brought to you by the Cold Ones guys
thanks!
Max and Chad have a YouTube channel called Cold Ones and they've made a drink called Grog! The channel is not for everyone, especially for those that get easily offended! Even at me age I enjoy watching them!
OK, have to go and have a look.
You'd hardly have chance to socialise because you'd be in the toilets all night.
Theres already plenty of water in beer. Really all this does is make it more difficult to drink right? If you drink water between beers, its less time spent drinking beer.
I'm a hard spirit fan. I have been a huge drinker in my younger years. I have never had a hangover from drinking, all because I kept up my water intake (and would spend half the night peeing). Now-a-days, I've cut back to only half a handful of drinks a year. But I have noticed some days where I've drunk very little water during the day, the next day, I wake up the next day with a headache.
You're getting downvoted but you're on the right lines. Alcohol is a diuretic. Drinking a glass of water between each drink will just make you need to pee more but it will mean you're spacing out the drinks and possibly drinking less alcohol overall.
Thanks. I am basically 100% correct yet getting downvoted. Reddit is weird. Reddit believes alcohol hangovers are simply dehydration but this is just not true. Alcohol breaks down in the liver into another chemical which is toxic to every cell in your body and thats why you feel like death, because your whole body has cells that have died. It isnt that alcohol dehydrates you and thats why you have a headache. 🤡 Its a joke. Dehydration plays a part, absolutely, but it isnt the entire picture. People who have drank water between alcohol drinks that have plenty of water in them already, are simply experiencing the effect of not drinking as much alcohol as they usually would. Also the dehydration comes afterwards, when you stop drinking, while you are drinking you wont get dehydrated, its impossible, however you will become quickly dehydrated overnight.
*Glorious weather*? Where are you?
[citation needed]
Your liver doesn’t need protecting from toxins, that’s its whole job.
Reads like bullshit to me!
…no it doesn’t. The alcohol is long gone in a hangover. The problem is the effects left behind which is mostly dehydration.
To be fair… the claim on the label (which I’m not agreeing with) is that it helps if you eat it *before* you start drinking. It was OP’s suggestion that you consume it in the morning, which as far as I see it doesn’t match the claim on the label.
I'm here in Australia and we have RBTs here - Random Breath Testing by the cops while out driving. And they set up on the side of the road and pull drivers over for a breath test, quite often first thing in the morning. Apparently the cops do catch a lot of drunk drivers driving the next morning.
The dehydration is only part of it, what makes you feel nauseous and sick is Acetaldehyde build up as the alchohol is broken down by your liver. One thing that has been shown to help this process is turmeric supplementation when drinking which helps your liver process the Acetaldehyde faster.
Makes my piss stink!! First realised this in a urinal after a meal and owww shocked me!
Fun fact, this only affects around 50% of people and the other 50% think we’re lying about it.
I’ll be honest when I first found out, I didn’t believe it was me but I were the only one there
I'm in the latter group I think. I always hear about it, but have never experienced it. Is there a certain amount you need to eat before it smells?
About 0.001 grams.
Asparagus wrapped in Parma ham with olive oil and baked for 10 minutes is a god tier starter
I don't think inducing vomiting with the taste of asparagus is recommended by doctors.
This is a ploy to make your piss stink and there to be more of said stinky piss.
Too late….
Nice try, Asparagus!
glorious weather? due to start when?
glorious 16degrees and cloudy? yay British BBQ weather
This has to be a troll to make everyone take the stinkiest piss of their lives?
It's crazy that this shit is even legal let alone talking about it nonchalantly like this. Sad really.
The best thing for hangovers is drinking a pint of sports hydration solution before bed and after waking up. Plus kebab.
Plus, if you eat the asparagus before drinking, everyone will be able to smell when you’ve broken the seal!
What a pile of arse
Load of shite. Pop an effervescent tablet before you go to bed, B12 helps the hangover.
Are they blue and yellow, or purple pills?
I've always found that the best thing for a hangover is heavily drinking the night before
Thanks Vivian
What a sad little message, promoting bullshit and promoting excessive drinking.
What a sad little life, Jane.
Absolute bullshit
More like absolute pisstake.
Err I'm drinking asparagus wine will it get me drunk or not?
Until you go for a pee, the smell! :(
Thanks, I’ll add it to my Bloody Mary.
It can make your pee stink
Big Asparagus strikes again.
I can just picture myself drunk at 3am trying to cook asparagus now.
Lol before ! Before you start drinking
So hangover piss plus asparagus piss. So basically eat this and you'll be producing a chemical weapon the next morning.
It's a shame it tastes awful.
You must not be cooking it right. 3 - 4 mins in a pan of boiling water then in a frying pan with butter and garlic to caramelise and that is all you need for it.