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Ever wondered whether pineapple juice is good for hangovers? Well, you’re not alone. Reaching for a nutritious fruit juice is the first point of call for many of us when we wake up feeling like death after a few too many shots last night.
But with so many different juice options to pick from, it’s hard to know which one is most beneficial for a hangover.
In this article, we’re going to take a closer look at pineapple juice for hangovers. More specifically, we’re going to examine the nutrients in pineapple juice to see whether it’s beneficial for a hangover.
So, with the introductions out the way, let’s start taking a closer look at pineapple juice as a hangover cure.
Nutrients in pineapple juice
To see whether pineapple juice helps hangovers, we first need to look at the nutrients in it. After all, this is what’s actually going to make a difference when hungover.
Pineapple juice contains a concentrated dose of various minerals and vitamins. One cup (240 mL) contains around:
- Calories: 130
- Carbs: 33 grams
- Sugars: 25 grams
- Fiber: less than 1 gram
- Manganese: 55% of the Daily Value (DV)
- Copper: 19% of the DV
- Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine): 15% of the DV
- Vitamin C: 14% of the DV
- Bitamin B1 (Thiamine): 12% of the DV
- Folate: 11% of the DV
- Potassium: 7% of the DV
- Magnesium: 7% of the DV
Pineapple juice is particularly rich in manganese, copper, and vitamins B6 and C.
It’s important to highlight that these nutritional values are based on freshly chopped pineapples. If you purchase ready-made pineapple juice from a carton, it’s going to have far fewer nutrients and a higher concentration of sugar.
Now we know what the basic nutritional content of pineapple juice is, we can now focus on whether any of the vitamins and minerals are good for hangovers.
Is pineapple juice good for hangovers?
Now on to the all-important question, is pineapple juice good for hangovers?
To really understand this, we first need to go over the causes of a hangover. Believe it or not, scientists are still unsure what the exact cause of a “hangover” is.
However, they generally agree that the following things all play an important part:
1) Dehydration: Alcohol is a diuretic which means it makes your kidneys flush out more water.
2) Inflammation: When alcohol is broken down in your liver, inflammatory by-products such as acetaldehyde are formed which react with your cells
3) Lack of sleep: Alcohol disrupts your sleep cycles. It makes your sleep light and easily interrupted which leaves you feeling tired in the morning.
So, can the nutrients in pineapple juice help to mitigate some of the damaging effects of alcohol?
Vitamin B1 and B6 are important in the metabolism of alcohol and some studies have shown that giving these in high doses before drinking alcohol can reduce hangover symptoms.(1)
Similarly, vitamin C is an antioxidant that can help neutralize “free-radicals” that are formed when alcohol is metabolized. You can read more about vitamins that are good for hangovers in our in-depth article.
The bottom line: Pineapple is a nutritious drink that may help restore some of the vitamins and minerals that are depleted after alcohol consumption.
Is pineapple juice a hangover cure?
Unfortunately, pineapple juice is not going to “cure” your hangover. In fact, no juice, medicine, pill, or magic potion is ever going to completely take away your hangover symptoms.
We mentioned before that hangovers are caused by several different things. Dehydration, inflammation, and poor sleep quality are the main factors. Therefore, you’d need to take something that would counteract all of these things to avoid a hangover. And clearly, that’s not possible.
With that said, pineapple juice is a tasty nutritious drink that can be easier on the palate and it may be just what you need to rehydrate you in the morning.
When to drink pineapple juice for hangovers
Most people try to “cure” a hangover in the morning when the damage from alcohol has already been done.
In actual fact, the best way to cure a hangover is to prevent it from happening in the first place. Therefore, drinking pineapple juice straight after your night out is probably going to be better for you than if you wait till the morning.
The reason being, it’ll help rehydrate you whilst giving your body the vitamin and mineral boost it needs before going to bed.
Anything else to consider?
Hangovers are a sign from your body that you’ve been drinking too much for your body to handle.
The best way to prevent the worst hangovers is to drink, slow down, keep well hydrated, and eat before going out.
You can also try sticking to lighter colored drinks that contain fewer congeners. Congeners are organic by-products formed when alcohol is made and are responsible for the distinctive taste of drinks like whiskey and red wine. Unfortunately, they also make hangovers more severe. You can read more about this in our article about congeners.
Pineapple juice for hangovers – Final verdict
That brings us to the end of our look at whether pineapple is good for a hangover or not.
We’ve walked you through the basic things you need to know about the causes of a hangover, as well as the nutritional benefits of pineapple juice.
Overall, it’s unlikely that pineapple is going to have a real impact on improving your hangover symptoms.
That said, it’s a tasty and nutritious drink that many people swear by drinking when hungover.
If you’re interested in juices that may be beneficial for a hangover, check out our article on the best juices for a hangover.
