Chocolate Milk for a Hangover

What about milk or chocolate milk for a hangover? Chocolate milk has been getting a lot of hype recently. After a long night out boozing, the benefits of this sugary liquid are heralded across the internet as a miracle cure for all things related to the next day—not only does it replenish lost nutrients, but the sugar and fat content is said to be just what your body needs to feel better.

While there are some studies that support these claims, they’re nothing new. As far back as 1996, researchers were showing that chocolate milk was more effective than sports drinks at replacing fluid lost in exercise. A follow-up study found that chocolate milk was just as effective as Gatorade at rehydrating athletes after prolonged periods of intense exercise. The sugar and protein content from the chocolate milk is digested slowly, helping to keep blood sugar stable and delaying fatigue. This is especially important if you’re drinking alcohol or sugary mixers (and most drinks tend to have both), since sugar messes with your body’s ability to process alcohol.

The milk-for-hangover debate has been around since the invention of alcohol. On one hand, there’s plenty of anecdotal evidence (and scientific research) that calcium helps with post-drinking nausea and other hangover symptoms. Milk contains calcium, which is a mineral that’s necessary for bone strength and muscle contraction, so it makes sense that this food would have some positive effect on your body. But then again, there’s also a lot of evidence that drinking milk while you’re hungover just makes you feel worse than when you started. This is because it contains lactose, a type of sugar, which actually increases your blood sugar levels and therefore exacerbates the symptoms of a hangover. Because everyone responds to alcohol differently, there isn’t one correct answer to this question.

The best thing you can do is try it for yourself and see how you react. If your stomach feels better after drinking a glass of chocolate milk, then stick with it! If not, switch to water or tea instead.