[Weekender] Do hangover cures actually work?
On the morning after a night of heavy drinking, many hungover Koreans feel better after having a bowl of hearty, spicy soup.
There is a plethora of choices -- soybean sprout soup and ox bone spicy soup, to name a few -- which all belong under the category of “haejangguk”: any soup that is eaten as a hangover cure in Korean cuisine.
For Kim Ji-hwan, a 31-year-old office worker in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, his favorite haejangguk is a bowl of potato soup with Korean red pepper powder. “It’s hearty and spicy -- but not too spicy,” Kim told The Korea Herald. “The spicy taste helps with fatigue and nausea. But haejnagguk only works when I’m mildly hungover. I prefer to just sleep in and only drink water when the symptoms are severe.”
But does haejangguk actually “cure” a hangover? The answer is both yes and no.
Water helps rehydrate for those who are suffering from a hangover. (123RF)
An alcohol hangover is in fact a medical condition known as veisalgia, a group of unpleasant symptoms that can develop after heavy drinking -- such as dizziness, fatigue, nausea, headache and dry mouth.
Scientifically, the condition is caused by a combination of dehydration and alcohol metabolism -- such as disruptions to the stomach lining, blood vessels and blood sugar.
For example, alcohol irritates the stomach lining and this can cause an overproduction of stomach acid which can eventually lead to nausea and stomach pain.
Lee Young-jong, a physician of Korean traditional medicine, said drinking fluids -- which can include haejangguk -- can help with dry mouth and dehydration. “The more alcohol you drink, the more water passes out of your body,” he told The Korea Herald.
“Haejangguk provides water so it can help ease dehydration. And the specific dish is a comfort food for many Koreans -- it’s always better to eat something that you find soothing when you have an upset stomach.”
Some Koreans love warm haejangguk for its spicy taste, which many believe helps them sweat alcohol out of their system. But Lee said sweating after eating haejangguk can be beneficial for only a certain group of individuals.
In Korean traditional medicine, people are divided into four types: “Tae-yang,” “Tae-eum,” “So-yang” and “So-eum.” Among the four, those who are “Tae-eum” tend to feel refreshed, rather than tired, after sweating. Those who are “Tae-eum” therefore may feel better by drinking a bowl of warm, spicy soup, he added.
“But those who belong to other body types, such as ‘So-eum,’ tend to lose energy when they sweat a lot,” Lee said. “I don’t think the spicy taste really does anything to improve the condition (of hangovers). It can actually make one’s condition worse if he or she is not used to spicy food. Yet sweating can help some people, according to their body types.”
In western medicine, it is said that only about 10 percent of the alcohol one drinks leaves the body through urine, breath and perspiration. Sweating only releases traces of toxins -- less than one percent of the body’s total content -- as its only and primary purpose is to prevent overheating.
“There is no scientific proof that consuming warm, spicy soup helps ease symptoms of a hangover,” said a doctor from the Samsung Medical Center in southern Seoul.
According to the Samsung Medical Center’s clinical nutrition research team, plain, starchy foods -- such as toast, noodles, potatoes and even rice -- can be great hangover cures.
Hangovers cause blood sugar levels to drop, which can lead to fatigue and shakiness. Plain carbs are known to increase blood sugar level.
Carbs help balance blood sugar level for those who are suffering from a hangover. (123RF)
On top of starchy foods, sports drinks such as Gatorade as well as fruit juice can help recover from a hangover, according to the team.
Alcohol causes the depletion of vitamin C as well as B6 and folic acid, which are important nutrients needed to cope well with stress. Fruit juice contains plenty of vitamins, while sports drinks are known to rehydrate faster than most other fluids, the researchers explained.
While expert opinions on the effectiveness of Korean haejangguk varies, science may have the answer why the specific dish has been working so well for many Koreans. The key word: sodium.
Most Korean cuisine, especially its soup and broth including haejangguk, are known for its high sodium content. According to the World Action on Salt and Health, South Koreans consumed a daily average of 4.878 milligrams of sodium in 2010, which was 2.4 times higher than the WHO’s recommended daily sodium intake.
While consuming too much sodium can cause a number of health risks, salty foods could help ease a hangover, according to experts.
Heavy drinking depletes electrolytes -- which is primarily composed of sodium, along with calcium and magnesium. Electrolytes are important minerals that affect the amount of water in the body as well as acidity of the blood and muscle function. One can lose electrolytes after excessive exercise, heavy sweating, starvation and heavy drinking among other things.
Many Korean soup broths, high in sodium, can help those hungover replenish their sodium intake. All sports drinks as well as fluids used in oral rehydration therapy also contain sodium and potassium salts, which help to replenish water and electrolyte levels after severe dehydration.
In Vietnam, its signature noodle soup, best known as Pho, has long been considered as one of the best hangover cures. The dish, like haejangguk, also contains some of the most important substances that are needed to treat dehydration: fluids and sodium.
By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com)
There is a plethora of choices -- soybean sprout soup and ox bone spicy soup, to name a few -- which all belong under the category of “haejangguk”: any soup that is eaten as a hangover cure in Korean cuisine.
For Kim Ji-hwan, a 31-year-old office worker in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, his favorite haejangguk is a bowl of potato soup with Korean red pepper powder. “It’s hearty and spicy -- but not too spicy,” Kim told The Korea Herald. “The spicy taste helps with fatigue and nausea. But haejnagguk only works when I’m mildly hungover. I prefer to just sleep in and only drink water when the symptoms are severe.”
But does haejangguk actually “cure” a hangover? The answer is both yes and no.
An alcohol hangover is in fact a medical condition known as veisalgia, a group of unpleasant symptoms that can develop after heavy drinking -- such as dizziness, fatigue, nausea, headache and dry mouth.
Scientifically, the condition is caused by a combination of dehydration and alcohol metabolism -- such as disruptions to the stomach lining, blood vessels and blood sugar.
For example, alcohol irritates the stomach lining and this can cause an overproduction of stomach acid which can eventually lead to nausea and stomach pain.
Lee Young-jong, a physician of Korean traditional medicine, said drinking fluids -- which can include haejangguk -- can help with dry mouth and dehydration. “The more alcohol you drink, the more water passes out of your body,” he told The Korea Herald.
“Haejangguk provides water so it can help ease dehydration. And the specific dish is a comfort food for many Koreans -- it’s always better to eat something that you find soothing when you have an upset stomach.”
Some Koreans love warm haejangguk for its spicy taste, which many believe helps them sweat alcohol out of their system. But Lee said sweating after eating haejangguk can be beneficial for only a certain group of individuals.
In Korean traditional medicine, people are divided into four types: “Tae-yang,” “Tae-eum,” “So-yang” and “So-eum.” Among the four, those who are “Tae-eum” tend to feel refreshed, rather than tired, after sweating. Those who are “Tae-eum” therefore may feel better by drinking a bowl of warm, spicy soup, he added.
“But those who belong to other body types, such as ‘So-eum,’ tend to lose energy when they sweat a lot,” Lee said. “I don’t think the spicy taste really does anything to improve the condition (of hangovers). It can actually make one’s condition worse if he or she is not used to spicy food. Yet sweating can help some people, according to their body types.”
In western medicine, it is said that only about 10 percent of the alcohol one drinks leaves the body through urine, breath and perspiration. Sweating only releases traces of toxins -- less than one percent of the body’s total content -- as its only and primary purpose is to prevent overheating.
“There is no scientific proof that consuming warm, spicy soup helps ease symptoms of a hangover,” said a doctor from the Samsung Medical Center in southern Seoul.
According to the Samsung Medical Center’s clinical nutrition research team, plain, starchy foods -- such as toast, noodles, potatoes and even rice -- can be great hangover cures.
Hangovers cause blood sugar levels to drop, which can lead to fatigue and shakiness. Plain carbs are known to increase blood sugar level.
On top of starchy foods, sports drinks such as Gatorade as well as fruit juice can help recover from a hangover, according to the team.
Alcohol causes the depletion of vitamin C as well as B6 and folic acid, which are important nutrients needed to cope well with stress. Fruit juice contains plenty of vitamins, while sports drinks are known to rehydrate faster than most other fluids, the researchers explained.
While expert opinions on the effectiveness of Korean haejangguk varies, science may have the answer why the specific dish has been working so well for many Koreans. The key word: sodium.
Most Korean cuisine, especially its soup and broth including haejangguk, are known for its high sodium content. According to the World Action on Salt and Health, South Koreans consumed a daily average of 4.878 milligrams of sodium in 2010, which was 2.4 times higher than the WHO’s recommended daily sodium intake.
While consuming too much sodium can cause a number of health risks, salty foods could help ease a hangover, according to experts.
Heavy drinking depletes electrolytes -- which is primarily composed of sodium, along with calcium and magnesium. Electrolytes are important minerals that affect the amount of water in the body as well as acidity of the blood and muscle function. One can lose electrolytes after excessive exercise, heavy sweating, starvation and heavy drinking among other things.
Many Korean soup broths, high in sodium, can help those hungover replenish their sodium intake. All sports drinks as well as fluids used in oral rehydration therapy also contain sodium and potassium salts, which help to replenish water and electrolyte levels after severe dehydration.
In Vietnam, its signature noodle soup, best known as Pho, has long been considered as one of the best hangover cures. The dish, like haejangguk, also contains some of the most important substances that are needed to treat dehydration: fluids and sodium.
By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com)
(责任编辑:关于我们)
相关内容
- LG Display starts production of advanced OLED displays for gaming
- Gattuso, Xavi meet again as Valencia host Barca
- Nuclear cooperation between N. Korea, Iran concerning: State Dept.
- [Newsmaker] Opposition parties 'not fundamentally opposed to THAAD'
- 海丰芥蓝入选全国名特优新农产品名录
- 蒙顶山茶有了专属茶器
- South Korea closely watching North Korea's summer military drills
- Guy's sleep recorder app picks up sounds worse than ghosts
- Govt designates quake
- 雨城区疾控中心提示:科学补碘 防治碘缺乏病
- North Korea says Ukraine has 'no right' to criticize its recognition of separatist regions
- How to keep kids from falling for fake news
- Chilwell's World Cup in severe doubt after injury
推荐文章
-
22 Unusual Things You Can Find in the Desert
In the desert, it can seem like very little exists aside from dunes and a few creatures that are ada ...[详细] -
Foreign ministers of Korea, Germany discuss cooperation on NK nuclear threat
Top diplomats from South Korea and Germany discussed ways to expand cooperation in fighting the grow ...[详细] -
Porto dump miserable Atletico out of Europe
PORTO:Porto sealed top spot in Champions League Group B with a 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid on Tuesd ...[详细] -
Apple is no longer a $1 trillion company
Apple, the first ever U.S. company to be valued at $1 trillion, is no longer worth $1 trillion.News ...[详细] -
24 of the Oldest Trees in the World
These trees have remained firmly rooted for centuries, in some cases millennia. The oldest among the ...[详细] -
Former Saenuri whip renews calls for nuclear armament
The ruling Saenuri Party’s former floor leader Rep. Won Yoo-chul on Friday renewed his call for nucl ...[详细] -
Trump has started a meme fight with Nickelback and the band is winning
It's 2019 and in a giant plot twist the band Nickelback has found itself at a pivotal moment in its ...[详细] -
Google Home Super Bowl ad caused some Google Homes to go bonkers
Creating a TV ad for a smart speaker is a toughie. The easiest way to show what it can do is to have ...[详细] -
TL;DR:Secure access to your favorite free porn sites with a VPN. The best service for unblocking por ...[详细]
-
一市民随口吐痰大众路社区垃圾堆成山一市民旁若无人地在花台上睡觉为深入开展“除陋习、树新风”专项行动,6月20日起,我市统一开展集中治理“四乱”行动。活动开展以来,我市的市容市貌是否有改观呢?市民的各种 ...[详细]
热点阅读
随机内容
- Pragmocracy Now
- Woman at checkout reacts to girl's anxiety attack in the best possible way
- Quality apps to keep little kids entertained
- Gov't should make more conciliatory gestures toward Pyongyang: Justice Party
- 11 Telescopes Exploring The Magic of Space
- [Newsmaker] Opposition parties 'not fundamentally opposed to THAAD'
- 500 people squeezed into the world's most epic family photo