How to prevent hangovers the natural way: three steps to ensure a happy new year

Sipping a glass or red wine or a beer each evening can be beneficial for heart health, according to multiple medical studies. But have a second or third drink--easy to do during the holidays--and not only do you scuttle the benefits, but the next morning may be a slog through headache, nausea and fatigue. While the surest way to avoid a hangover is to eschew alcohol, this three-step regimen can make all the difference after a spirited evening.

1 BEFORE THE PARTY: Take a B vitamin complex.

Vitamin [B.sub.6], a prominent ingredient in most B complex formulas, may act as a hangover preventative. A small study in 1973 of 17 men and women (published in the Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol) found that taking vitamin [B.sub.6] before and during an evening of drinking alcohol reduced hangover symptoms by half.

2 WHEN YOU GET HOME: Drink at least one glass of water before going to bed.

By counteracting the dehydrating effects of alcohol, water lessens hangover symptoms, according to researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, who reviewed multiple studies published between 1966 and 1999.

3 THE NEXT MORNING: Take 1000mg of vitamin C plus 140mg of a standardized milk thistle extract. These supplements can ease the toxic effects of over-indulging. Animal research has shown that vitamin C prevents an alcohol-induced rise in cholesterol and, through antioxidant mechanisms, can prevent liver damage. Similarly, milk thistle has been used for centuries for its liver-cleansing effects and is believed to work--at least partially--through antioxidant benefits.

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