N-acetylcysteine ineffective in alleviating hangover from binge drinking : a clinical study

Podobnik, Boris (author), Demšar, Lenart (author), Šarc, Lucija (author), Jerin, Aleš (author), Osredkar, Joško (author), Trontelj, Jurij (author), Roškar, Robert (author), Brvar, Miran (author)

Alcohol hangover (veisalgia) is a fairly common phenomenon. The pathogenesis of veisalgia is not understood and treatment has not yet been established. Occasionally, students take N-acetylcysteine (NAC) before binge drinking to alleviate hangover. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of NAC on serum levels of electrolytes, enzymes, oxidative stress biomarkers and symptoms of veisalgia in binge drinking. In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, healthy students were randomly assigned into two groups: one receiving NAC and the other receiving a placebo. Blood samples were taken before drinking, 30 min after a 1.5 h long drinking session, and the subsequent morning. Serum levels of electrolytes, urea, enzymes, ethanol, 8-Hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and N-epsilon-hexanoyl-lysine were measured. The participants completed the Acute Hangover Severity Scale (AHSS) assessment based on symptoms, and 40 students (20 male), aged 23 ± 2 years, were included in the study. Their mean blood ethanol concentration was 1.4 g/kg. Serum sodium levels were increased after drinking, and urea decreased the following morning compared to their levels before drinking in both groups. Serum 8-OHdG levels were increased after drinking and remained elevated until the following morning, compared to the levels before drinking, in both groups. NAC had no effect on sodium, urea and 8-OHdG levels or the symptoms of veisalgia. In conclusion, binge drinking causes a transient increase in serum sodium and as a prolonged increase in oxidative marker 8-OHdG levels. NAC had no effect on the sodium and 8-OHdG levels.

• Language: English
• Keywords: alcohol, hangover, veisalgia, NAC, sodium, dehydration, oxidative markers
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FFA - Faculty of Pharmacy; MF - Faculty of Medicine
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: 9 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 12, iss. 8, art. 585
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-162174
• UDC: 613.81+616.151.1-08
• ISSN on article: 2305-6304
• DOI: 10.3390/toxics12080585
• COBISS.SI-ID: 206065923
• Publication date in RUL: 19.09.2024

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Toxics : Elektronski vir
• Shortened title: Toxics
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2305-6304
• COBISS.SI-ID: 520262681

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: alkohol, veisalgija, NAC, natrij, oksidativni markerji, alkoholni maček, dehidracija

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P3-0019
• Name: Aplikativna in bazična fiziologija in patofiziologija v medicini

• Funder: Other - Other funder or multiple funders
• Funding programme: University Medical Centre Ljubljana
• Project number: 20200175