HW: Alchoholic Beverages? Halt that hangover NOW!

[Dave Berry]

I could never drink large amounts.  When I was a teenager I got horrendous
headaches from my nights out, though that might have come from headbanging
(what a stupid idea that was!).  Anyway, here's a hangover cure I was
recommended recently.  I haven't tried it yet.

Dave.

N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), an amino acid supplement sold in health
food stores.
AC is thought to work by boosting the body's ability to mop up destructive
chemicals
called free radicals which build up in the liver as enzymes break down
ethanol. Free radicals are usually seen off by glutathione, but after heavy
drinking reserves of this enzyme can run low. NAC helps because it is rich
in cysteine, a sulphur-rich amino acid that forms the core of glutathione.
Fuelled by supplies of cysteine, glutathione remains plentiful and
detoxification goes on for longer. "NAC is like a 'pro-drug' that's
converted into glutathione," says Carl Waltenbaugh, an alcohol researcher
from Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago.
NAC also gives a clue to the success of some age-old hangover cures, such as
prairie oysters, omelettes and the English fried breakfast. They all contain
eggs-which are also rich in cysteine.