An excessive party is often followed by a rude awakening the next morning: hangover! It can take a long time for the liver to break down alcohol in the body. But there seems to be a simple method to speed up this process.
After a night of drinking, the liver runs at full speed: it breaks down up to 90 percent of the residual alcohol in the blood (ethanol). The degradation takes place at a constant speed. But is there a way to help the detoxification organ and speed up the process? A team of researchers from the University of Toronto (Canada) proposes a simple method that basically anyone can do to speed up the breakdown of alcohol: breathing.
Alcohol absorption and breakdown are influenced by several factors
How quickly alcohol is absorbed by the body and finally broken down again depends on various factors. On average, it takes three to five minutes for alcohol to travel through the bloodstream to the brain, where it takes effect. After 30 to 60 minutes it has spread through the blood throughout the body. Those who drink on an empty stomach or after exercising usually feel the intoxicating effect more quickly. Heavy drinking, medication, and medical condition can also affect alcohol intake.1
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While women break down 0.1 per mil per hour, it can be up to 0.2 per mil in men. Why is that? Women have a higher body fat percentage than men, but a lower percentage of water. Because alcohol is more soluble in water than in fat, blood alcohol concentrations are slightly lower in men than in women. This is why the same amount of alcohol makes women drunk faster than men.
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But genetic factors can also play a role. A study by the Cologne University Hospital is currently in the process of investigating how drinking speed, age, gender, body weight and height in combination with genetic material properties affect alcohol metabolism. Based on the results, it should be possible to predict better in the future which blood concentrations of alcohol are to be expected for a specific consumption.2
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Proper breathing helps break down alcohol
Scientists at the University of Toronto have found a method to help break down alcohol in the blood. It’s: breathe, breathe, breathe. And strong. The Canadian researchers explain that you can «breathe away» the alcohol. The heavier and deeper the breath, the more alcohol is eliminated. According to the scientists, three times more alcohol is removed in this way than the liver would be able to do on its own.
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Chaotic breathing can lead to fainting
However, study leader Jospeh A. Fisher advises against hyperventilating. After a minute or two you wouldn’t be able to take it anymore. In the worst case, fainting. Beforehand, however, there is usually drowsiness, tingling and numbness in the hands and feet. Why? When hyperventilating, i.e. breathing fast and deeply, the body also transports carbon dioxide out of the blood together with alcohol. If this gas decreases in the body, the unpleasant symptoms arise.
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To prevent this, Fisher and his team have developed a device the size of a briefcase. Attached to it are valves, connecting tubes, a mask and a small tank of compressed carbon dioxide. What the patient exhales in terms of carbon dioxide is supplied to him again. According to the scientists, the device is easy to use, it does not need computers, filters or electronics. They even believe that this method can help detoxify patients with severe, clinical alcohol intoxication.
The scientists drew their conclusions based on an experiment with five male participants, who consumed a vodka-water mixture with an alcohol content of 0.5 grams of ethanol per kilogram of body weight. Blood alcohol levels, breathing frequency and the composition of the exhaled air were then monitored and analyzed.
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Rapid breathing also in yoga
Yogis may not find this approach entirely new. In general, breathing techniques in yoga are also used for detoxification. In Kundalini Yoga, for example, rapid breathing is called “fire breath”. However, no additional device is used. Fire breathing is usually done through the nose, supported by the abdominal muscles. To avoid dizziness, stretch your chin against your chest when you breathe.
limitation of the study
However, not only because of the low number of study participants, the significance of the study must be assessed critically. As the Federal Center for Health Education as part of its campaign «Alcohol? Know your limit”, the body “always breaks down alcohol at the same rate”. Even home remedies such as black coffee or a cold shower cannot influence this.4