Asparagus may help with a hangover

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CHICAGO, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- U.S. food experts remind New Year's revelers that researchers found eating asparagus may help guard against a hangover.

The Institute of Food Technologists said it published a study in 2009 by researchers at the Institute of Medical Science and Jeju National University in South Korea found the amino acids and minerals found in asparagus extract may alleviate alcohol hangover and protect liver cells against toxins.

Lead researcher B.Y. Kim said chronic alcohol use caused oxidative stress on the liver as well as unpleasant physical effects associated with a hangover.

"Cellular toxicities were significantly alleviated in response to treatment with the extracts of asparagus leaves and shoots," Kim said in a statement. "These results provide evidence of how the biological functions of asparagus can help alleviate alcohol hangover and protect liver cells."

Asparagus is a common vegetable widely consumed worldwide and has long been used as an herbal medicine due to its anti-cancer effects, but it also has anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory and diuretic properties, officials at the Institute of Food Technologists said.

The findings were published in the Journal of Food Science.