My husband often entertains clients and drinks a lot, so I usually make him lemon water with honey to drink. Is this an effective and safe way to relieve the effects of alcohol? (Ngan, 30 years old, Ho Chi Minh City)
Reply:
When you drink alcohol (or alcoholic beverages in general) to a certain extent, you will feel intoxicated. Mild symptoms include dizziness and nausea, while more severe symptoms include loss of behavioral control and drowsiness.
Differences in alcohol tolerance are due to each person having a different rate of ethanol metabolism. This depends on enzymes such as ADH and the antioxidant glutathione secreted by the liver. When the amount of alcohol consumed exceeds the liver's metabolic capacity, the body becomes intoxicated.
Lemon and honey water, lemongrass and ginger water, orange juice... contain many vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, which promote faster metabolism of alcohol in the liver, helping to reduce the feeling of intoxication. However, these drinks do not reduce the harmful effects of alcohol on the body; they only alleviate unpleasant symptoms.
Therefore, alcohol should be consumed in moderation to avoid long-term harmful effects such as hepatitis, cirrhosis, and even liver cancer.
Doctor Dinh Tran Ngoc Mai
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, University Medical Center of Ho Chi Minh City
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