To alleviate hangover symptoms after a night of drinking, you should turn to fermented foods like kimchi or kombucha, according to a British dietician.
- Fermented foods like kimchi and kombucha contain probiotic microorganisms, which may benefit our health.
- For dietician Lucy Kerrison, the composition of these products can help fight dehydration and rebalance the microbiota when you have a hangover.
- But his colleague Duane Mellor reminds us that “the best way to avoid a hangover is not to drink to excess.”
Headache, nausea, fatigue, hypersensitivity to noise and light when you wake up… If you had a few glasses of alcohol the day before, there is little doubt: you have a hangover. But how to end a veisalgiascientific name for this disorder? Fermented foods could be the solution, says dietician Lucy Kerrison questioned by the DailyMail.
Hangover : fermented foods fight against dehydration
After a night of drinking too much, the kimchi (spicy dish Korean made from fermented vegetables)kombucha (fermented drink) or kefir (drink made from the fermentation of milk or sweetened fruit juice) are not the foods you would think to put on the breakfast/brunch menu. And yet, party-goers would do well to opt for these fermented foods, rich in probiotic microorganisms, according to Lucy Kerrison.
While there is no miracle cure for hangovers, these products have the advantage of fighting dehydration and helping to replenish the microbiota.
“Alcohol dehydrates and salt causes water retention. So adding a little salt to your diet isn’t a bad thing for a hangover. Fermented foods high in salt, such as kimchi and sauerkraut, can be useful”explained the expert to our British colleagues. “They also contain live bacteria that can have a positive impact on our gut microbiome, which can be damaged by excessive alcohol consumption”she added.
“We know that the liver is responsible for alcohol metabolism, so taking care of your gut health and liver can have a positive impact on alcohol metabolism”specified the specialist. “Maintaining good gut health can strengthen the function of your intestinal barrier, so that it is less affected by alcohol, a known intestinal irritant that can affect intestinal motility, permeability and nutrient absorption”.
Kombucha, kefir, kimchi: they help to rebalance the microbiota
Alcohol disrupts gut function, including short-chain fatty acids which are known to reduce inflammation and regulate immune function within the organ. What contributes to the symptoms of veisalgia. Duane Mellor, dietician and lecturer at theUniversity of Birmingham, notes that some kombuchas are rich in butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid that helps rebalance the microbiota damaged by the drink.
However, the health professional warns drinkers. While fermented products have many health benefits, gorging on kombucha and kimchi before a night out will not prevent a hangover.
“Most alcohol will be absorbed in the upper intestine, so unless you drink excessively, very little will reach the colon, where most of the bacteria is found“he explained. “The best way to avoid a hangover is not to drink to excess.”he concluded.
