This Green Veggie Could Prevent a New Year's Day Hangover

Do you know what you'll be eating before toasting with champagne this New Years Eve? If you're looking to prevent a hangover, you might want to load up on one green veggie specifically: asparagus.

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The fibrous vegetable was found in a recent study to have properties that might prevent, or at least alleviate, hangovers from alcohol consumption.

Science Daily reported on the study by researchers at the Institute of Medical Science and Jeju National University in Korea, who found asparagus shoots and leaves have amino acids and minerals that could counteract alcohol's negative effects. They analyzed the impact these components had on human and rat liver cells, finding the leaves (the tip of the vegetable) have more of the beneficial compounds than the stalk.

"Cellular toxicities were significantly alleviated in response to treatment with the extracts of asparagus leaves and shoots," lead researcher B.Y. 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 also known to have anticancer effects, as well antifungal, anti-inflammatory and diuretic properties.

This research was published in the Journal of Food Science by the Institute of Food Technologists.

Featured image via Shutterstock.com. 

(H/T: Popular Science)