Christmas is just around the corner and that means a time to pop open the champagne and an excuse to enjoy one to many glasses. But while it’s all fun and games while you’re drinking, it’s a different story the next morning.
Now a new product, dubbed a ‘hangover cure in a bottle’, promises to allow you to have a very merry festive period – without suffering the after-effects.
YourSaint – which comes in drops and shot form – is meant to be taken one hour before drinking and then every six hours for best results.
The remedy contains a blend of vitamins, minerals, and ‘liver cleansing’ ingredients – including ginger, grape seeds, shitake mushrooms and taurine – and promises to ‘neutralise the effect of alcohol’ within 30 minutes of having it.
According to CEO of YourSaint, Jorgen Koefoed, it allows you to ‘enjoy life to the fullest while also staying productive and on top of your duties the next morning’.
It will be available from December 3 to purchase online in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, starting at €39.90 (£35) for two bottles, and €99.50 (£87.60) for twelve doses. The manufacturers are even offering a ‘100 per cent money-back guarantee’.
So it’s not exactly cheap – but is it worth it? Or is it better to switch to a soft drink or water throughout the night? We ask an expert.
YourSaint – taken one hour before drinking and then every six hours for best results – is claimed to ‘neutralise the effect of alcohol’ within 30 minutes
Dr Paul Wilson, a consultant gastroenterologist at Spire Parkway Hospital in Solihull in the West Midlands examines the ingredients in the bottle.
Ginger
The claim: YourSaint says the ginger is for relieving digestive problems such as nausea, loss of appetite, motion sickness and pain.
The science: Ginger, used medicinally for thousands of years, is known for its ability to soothe stomach upsets.
Studies show it may help pain, by blocking the formation of the inflammatory compounds prostaglandins and leukotriene, so it could even help ease a throbbing head.
Dr Wilson says: ‘Ginger has a tradition of alleviating discomfort and pain in the stomach and is thought to help eliminate excessive gas from the digestive system,’ said Dr Wilson.
‘I’m not saying it doesn’t have these qualities, but your bank account might benefit from putting half a teaspoon of ginger powder in the water you drink while trying to rehydrate your “alcohol battered” body.’
Grape seeds
The claim: YourSaint doesn’t seem to make any claim for the effect of grape seeds – derived from the ground-up seeds of red wine grapes – on the hangover process.
Instead it says they are ‘rich in powerful antioxidants and natural plant compounds called oligomeric proanthocyanidin complexes (OPCs). Grape seed extract may play a role in cancer prevention, bone strength, oral health, healthy blood pressure and more’.
The science: There have been various studies on whether the antioxidant properties of grape seed has any affect on various diseases – with mixed results. Mail Online was unable to find any research on the extract and it’s effect on acetaldehyde levels.
Dr Wilson says: ‘If you Google grape seed you will soon be able to find many sites telling you of its “miracle” qualities… I’d take that with a pinch of salt if I were you.
‘It may contain some antioxidants and plant compounds but there is no real evidence that it has healing powers of any kind.’
A hangover occurs when the amount of alcohol you consume outpaces the ability of your enzymes to process it and acetaldehyde builds up in your body (stock image)
Shiitake mushrooms
The claim: ‘Shiitake mushrooms are an excellent source of copper, pantothenic acid and selenium. They are a very good source of vitamin B2 and zinc.’
‘Additionally, they are a good source of manganese, vitamin B6, niacin, choline, dietary fiber, vitamin D and folate.’
The science: Alcohol is a diuretic, causing drinkers to need to use the bathroom often. Frequent urination increases the loss of water and numerous vitamins. B vitamins are critical for metabolism in the body.
A supplement containing vitamins B-1 and B-6 was shown to help reduce hangover symptoms. A study published in the journal Advances in Preventive Medicine in 2012 encouraged participants to take a supplement before and after drinking alcohol. Of the subjects who completed the study, 88 per cent reported a reduction in hangover symptoms.
Dr Wilson says: ‘Shiitake mushrooms do contain elements of vitamin B6, niacin, choline, dietary fibre and vitamin D – but then so do ordinary mushrooms from your corner shop.
‘A small portion of mushrooms on toast might help settle an upset stomach – but that’s more because it is often good to get a bit of something down you after a heavy night on the booze.’
Taurine
The claim: ‘Taurine supports insulin health and elevates energy production and fights inflammation. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant, and known to block some of the damage caused by DNA-damaging free radicals.’ Again, the company hasn’t explained how it would affect alcohol metabolism.
The science: The safety of this clear, crystalline substance in combination with caffeine – as it is in energy drinks such as Red Bull – has been the subject of much controversy.
There have been reports connecting energy drinks with deaths, although a definitive link has not been proven.
Erring on the side of caution, the Swedish National Food Administration issued a warning advising consumers to avoid drinking it with alcohol or after strenuous exercise.
However, scientists studying the effects of taurine on liver toxicity beg to differ. University of London’s School of Pharmacy researchers say taurine can reverse the liver damage caused by alcoholism or even a heavy night’s drinking.
Dr Wilson says: ‘Healthy humans have the ability to manufacture sufficient taurine in their own body, but, strangely enough cats don’t! So I’m not convinced that supplemental taurine would help prevent a hangover in humans. And I’ve never seen a cat with a hangover so they probably don’t need it.’
Dr Wilson’s verdict
‘The best way to deal with a hangover is not to get one in the first place,’ he said. ‘Moderate your drinking and switch from alcohol to soft drink or water throughout the night.
‘If that fails, then plenty of water, a couple or paracetamols and something to replace the missing sugars and salts from your system the next day are your best bet.
‘This seems like a lot of money to be paying when a couple of paracetamol, a big glass of water and maybe an spoonful of sugar and a pinch of salt would be just as beneficial.’
WHY THE FIRST GLASS OF FIZZ POURED FROM A BOTTLE WILL GET YOU TIPSY EVEN FASTER
Merlin Thomas, a leading professor of medicine, reveals that fizzy alcoholic drinks will get you drunk faster than flat tipples, especially the first glass you have.
While food can slow down the absorption of alcohol, drinking fizzy alcoholic drinks can do the opposite, helping it to bubble along through our stomach and into our bloodstream, he said.
The most intoxicating bubbly of them all is champagne, or sparkling wine. When we drink it, it is still filled with dissolved gas, which continues to be released in our stomachs, but at a faster rate as it warms to body temperature and gets shaken about.
To avoid getting too drunk from Champagne, you can chase the bubbles from your glass using a swizzle stick – a trick employed by Queen Victoria (stock photo)
As the fizz fills our stomach, the stomach is forced to empty its alcoholic contents more rapidly into our intestines, where alcohol absorption is faster. So we get drunk faster on champagne than on the same amount of white wine.
The same intoxicating effect is true of beer or other fizzy drinks, but there is far more dissolved gas in champagne.
And the first glasses poured from the bottle are more intoxicating than the last, as the sooner you drink it, the more gas there is.
The temperature is important, too. Ice-cold champagne gets us more drunk because it doesn’t bubble as much as when it’s warm, so there is much more dissolved gas left to be bubbled up inside us.
If we didn’t want to get drunk as quickly, we could drink warm, flat champagne. But a more creative method may be to chase the bubbles from our glass using a swizzle stick – a trick employed by Queen Victoria.