Can This Supplement Really Cure Hangovers?
Hangovers suck and they’ve long been accepted as an inevitable part of drinking. But, what if you could take a pill that prevented you from waking up in a world of pain? Perhaps that day has arrived. Let’s explore the ultimate hangover cure.
Why do we get hangovers?
When you drink ethanol (the active ingredient in alcoholic beverages) it gets metabolized by your liver into a compound called acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is a toxic compound that contributes a great deal to the negative effects of booze such as hangovers, upset stomach, memory loss, and inflammation. Hangovers are also exacerbated by things like dehydration and the side-effects of congeners – chemical byproducts produced during the distillation or fermentation process.
Your brain also takes a beating from booze. Alcohol disrupts the balance of important neurotransmitters that are involved in pretty much every process. Primarily, alcohol binds to GABA, which makes you feel relaxed Your brain also takes a beating from booze.
Alcohol disrupts the balance of important neurotransmitters that are involved in pretty much every process. Primarily, alcohol binds to GABA, which makes you feel relaxed when you start drinking. As your body metabolizes booze, your brain goes into overdrive trying to restore chemical balance by blasting an excitatory neurochemical called glutamate. This burst of glutamate is one of the key reasons alcohol leads to disjointed sleep and those energetic early morning awakenings. As we all know, this burst of energy eventually fades and we’re left with a hangover. Learn more about how alcohol ruins your sleep here.
You may not be able to fully prevent a hangover but speeding up the metabolism of alcohol speeds the conversion of toxic acetaldehyde into acetate, a harmless chemical. Reducing the amount of time acetaldehyde spends in your system can minimize its harmful effects.
DHM – The Hangover Cure?
Researchers have discovered a natural substance that can potentially prevent hangovers and reduce the negative impact of alcohol on your body.
DHM, known also as Dihydromyricetin is a natural flavonoid derived from the fruit of the oriental raisin tree. Recently, studies have shown that this powerful little supplement can be used to help people battle hangovers and improve the way their bodies process booze.
DHM helps reduce the impact of alcohol in a few ways:
- Speeds up alcohol metabolism
- Reduces absorption of alcohol in the gastrointestinal tract
- Counteracts alcohol intoxication
- Protects your liver from damage
- Helps restore balance to brain chemistry after drinking
DHM Speeds up alcohol metabolism
DHM triggers and the liver to increase the activity of two enzymes in your liver that break down alcohol – alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). DHM also enhances the activity of these enzymes, enabling a speedier metabolism. Faster conversion from alcohol to acetate means less inflammation and cellular damage caused by acetaldehyde. In simple terms, you’re getting the poison out of your system faster.
DHM triggers and the liver to increase the activity of two enzymes in your liver that break down alcohol – alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). DHM also enhances the activity of these enzymes, enabling a speedier metabolism. Faster conversion from alcohol to acetate means less inflammation and cellular damage caused by acetaldehyde. In simple terms, you’re getting the poison out of your system faster.
DHM Promotoes Gut Health
Alcohol leads to unhealthy changes in your gut biome and contributes to increased permeability of your tract, leading to inflammation and endotoxemia. This can contribute to hangover symptoms and organ damage such as liver disease.
DHM reduces the absorption of alcohol in your gastrointestinal tract and helps to significantly boost the proportion of the beneficial bacteria Lactobacillus and Akkermansia genera. These actions help reduce intoxication from alcohol, protect your gut from the damaging effects of booze, and increase healthy gut flora aiding in boosting immunity, lowering inflammation, and protecting your stomach lining.
DHM Counteracts Alcohol intoxication
Alcohol’s interactions with GABA receptors in your brain are responsible for the feelings of drunkenness and many of the uncomfortable side effects that follow intoxication. DHM doesn’t reduce the levels of alcohol in your blood but it does block alcohol’s action on GABA receptors and reduces cravings.
The ability of this supplement to reduce cravings for alcohol may prove to be a valuable mechanism for many people who have a tendency to overindulge when engaging in drinking or those living with addiction. For people who do not want a reduced impact of alcohol, they can simply time their DHM dose later in the evening.
DHM Protects your liver from damage
Alcohol is toxic to your liver and frequent drinking can lead to the destruction of liver cells, scarring of the liver (cirrhosis), inflammatory response, and cellular mutations that can lead to cancer. Alcohol also leads to fatty deposits in your liver that can be present even in casual drinkers.
When drinking alcohol, levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) are elevated. These metabolites are commonly measured to indicate liver damage. DHM has been shown in studies to offer protection to the liver by minimizing alcohol-induced damage as indicated by lowered AST and ALT levels when supplemented with DHM.
DHM also protects and helps repair alcohol-induced liver damage via changes in lipid metabolism and helps prevent fat accumulation in the liver. Additionally, it reduces the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines in sera and cell models. These cytokines and chemokines are associated with unhealthy changes such as liver disease, thus reducing their presence offers significant protection to your liver.
Helps restore balance to brain chemistry after drinking
Alcohol leads to significant disruptions in brain chemistry that negatively impact sleep, mood, and cognitive abilities. DHM helps regulate and restore optimal brain chemistry by blocking alcohol’s impacts on a receptor called GABA.
Studies have shown that DHM restores GABAergic transmission and synaptic function which helps mitigate the negative impact of booze and can even help reduce anxiety. Due to DHM’s ability to block alcohol’s binding with GABA receptors, DHM can also help prevent or reduce alcohol’s rebound effect. The rebound effect is your brain’s response to the GABA imbalances by blasting the excitatory chemical called glutamate as alcohol is being metabolized.
Does DHM Actually Prevent Hangovers?
Hangovers are complicated and there is no guaranteed prevention other than not drinking. However, studies and anecdotal evidence show that DHM can have a significant impact on reducing the negative effects of alcohol, including hangover symptoms.
While no official controlled clinical trials have been conducted with humans, one non-peer-reviewed study found that people who took DHM had a 50% reduction in hangover symptoms. The efficacy of DHM will depend on many variables such as the amount of alcohol consumed, the timing of the dose, hydration, weight, body composition, and genetics.
How to Take DHM
DHM is currently widely available as a standalone supplement or as a stack. Learn how to take DHM, the correct dosing, how to time your dose, and tips for choosing the best products.
How to Dose DHM for Optimal Benefits
DHM is poorly absorbed by the gut which means the recommended dosage is fairly high. There are no human trials guiding optimal dosage so the current recommendations are based on animal trials and observational studies.
DOSAGE RECOMMENDATIONS:
- 300-600 mg for up to three drinks
- 600-1200 mg for more than three drinks
How to Time your DHM dose
Take your dose of DHM while enjoying your night out or right before you go to bed. If you would like to reduce the impact of alcohol’s effects throughout the evening, take it 30 minutes before you start drinking. If your stack contains N-Acetyl-Cysteine, do not take it after drinking.
Tips for Chosing Your Supplement
You can skip the struggle and choose from our Rested Health-approved DHM supplements. We’ve scoured the internet and found the best sources so you don’t have to. If you’d like to venture on your own, follow these guidelines for choosing a high-quality DHM supplement.
DHM Stacks
You may have already noticed that DHM is commonly stacked with other ingredients.
N-Acetyl-Cysteine
The most popular companion to DHM is N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC).
NAC provides protection from toxic liver damage by elevating intracellular glutathione concentrations and it also helps restore levels of the brain chemical glutamate, which is disrupted by alcohol. It is very important that you do not take NAC after consuming alcohol as it may lead to liver damage.
Dose: ~300mg 30 mins before drinking. Do not take after drinking.
Milk Thistle
This powerful antioxidant can help neutralize harmful free radicals that are produced as your body metabolizes alcohol. It may also help detoxify some of the harmful compounds in alcohol, which protects your liver from damage. It is not a powerful standalone supplement for hangovers but works well when combined with DHM.
Magnesium
Alcohol rids your body of magnesium which can contribute to hangover headaches. Replenishing your stores by supplementing the night before and the next morning can help mitigate negative side effects such as headaches.
Dose: ~400 mg magnesium glycinate
Vitamin B12
B vitamins are essential for many bodily functions (such as alcohol metabolism) and get depleted when we drink. Take a B 12 supplement or B-complex before you drink and the next morning. You can also wear a B12 patch on your night out! B12 pairs great with other hangover supplements.
Dose: ~ 2500-5000 mcg
Others
You may encounter other add-ons such as vitamin c, curcumin, and CBD. These each offer extra support that can help reduce inflammation and make your morning a little better after a night of drinking. It’s always an excellent idea to pair any of these supplements with an electrolyte drink to even try and reduce the impact of alcohol-induced dehydration.
Is DHM Safe?
DHM does not have any reported side effects and appears to be safe, even at high doses. More research is needed to determine the best guidelines for use and any other potential side effects.
Does DHM interact with other medications
Studies are limited on whether DHM interacts with prescribed medication but given its action on liver enzymes, there is the possibility that it may change the way some prescription medicine is broken down. If you are uncertain, discuss it with your doctor. One small study indicated that there is a potential for metabolic interference with other medications because DHM inhibits the activity of certain liver enzymes such as CYP3A4, CYP2E1 and CYP2D6.
The Bottom Line
Hangovers suck and we want you to avoid them. As alcohol breaks down in your body it causes an array of damage that can lead to long-term health issues. Current evidence suggests that you can mitigate or reduce this damage significantly by supplementing with DHM. Remember to stay hydrated by drinking a glass of water for each alcoholic beverage, drink in moderation, and supplement wisely for an optimal outcome.
