Alcohol & Supplements

A glass of wine with dinner, a cold beer after work – and conscientiously the supplements in the morning: for many people both are part of everyday life without their ever having thought about whether the two actually go together. The short answer first.

Alcohol and supplements are not mutually exclusive – but they should stay out of each other's way in terms of timing. It is best to take your vitamins and minerals in the morning or during the day and separate them from alcohol consumption in the evening. The reason: alcohol is metabolised in the same liver that is also responsible for the utilisation of many nutrients, and it acts as a diuretic – which can promote the excretion of water-soluble nutrients and electrolytes.

So much for the essentials. Now let us look at what really happens in the body – and how to set up your routine so that you no longer have to worry.

What does alcohol do to your nutrients in the body?

Ethanol, the alcohol in wine, beer and spirits, is broken down to over 90 percent in the liver. And this is exactly where the conflict of interest arises: the liver is also the central hub for the metabolism of numerous vitamins and minerals. It activates vitamin D into a precursor, for example, stores vitamin A and several B vitamins and is involved in the utilisation of iron. When this organ is regularly busy breaking down larger amounts of alcohol, that claims its capacities.

Added to this is a second, quite mechanical effect: alcohol inhibits a hormone that normally ensures that the kidneys retain water. That is why you have to go to the toilet more often after a few glasses – and with the water you also lose water-soluble nutrients and electrolytes such as magnesium and potassium. The famous dry mouth the morning after is basically an electrolyte and fluid issue.

With an occasional glass at a meal, this influence on an otherwise balanced supply is small. It becomes relevant with regular, higher consumption. We describe these connections explicitly neutrally and without any health-related promise.

Why the liver is the linchpin

To understand why alcohol and nutrients come into competition at all, it is worth taking a closer look at the liver. It is the body's central metabolic organ and performs dozens of tasks at the same time: it breaks down alcohol, activates and stores vitamins, regulates the fat and sugar balance and cleans numerous substances. If larger amounts of alcohol now arrive regularly, the priority shifts – the breakdown of ethanol takes precedence, because the breakdown product acetaldehyde has to be processed further quickly.

This is no reason for drama with an occasional glass, but it clearly explains why, with frequent, higher consumption, the remaining metabolic tasks can fall behind. The liver is, so to speak, a very capable all-rounder, but not one with infinite capacity. Anyone who would like to keep an eye on it will find a factual overview of diet and lifestyle in Supporting the liver naturally.

The simplest lever: decouple supplements and alcohol

You do not have to learn any complicated rules. One principle is enough: separate the two in terms of timing. This has two advantages at once. First, your sensitive, water-soluble nutrients do not directly meet the diuretic effect. Second, your intake routine stays stable – and routine is half the success when it comes to supplements.

• Morning or during the day: take vitamins, minerals and other preparations as usual. For many substances this is the more practical time anyway.
• In the evening: enjoy alcohol – if at all – consciously and in moderation, not directly together with the daily portion of preparations.
• After a sociable evening: pay attention to sufficient water. Electrolytes can support the fluid balance – more on this in the guide Electrolytes: magnesium and potassium.

How to build up a sensible daily rhythm is shown by Intake rhythm: morning or evening. And if you combine several preparations anyway, Combining supplements correctly helps you keep track.

These nutrients are often mentioned in this context

When it comes to alcohol and supply, the same candidates keep coming up. Important for understanding: the following table describes possible connections and the authorised functions of these nutrients – it is not a statement about any treatment.

These authorised statements apply regardless of the topic of alcohol – they simply describe what the body needs the respective nutrients for. If you have the feeling that your supply is not right, or have persistent complaints, that is a case for the doctor, not for self-diagnosis.

What research is investigating

The connection between chronically high alcohol consumption and the supply situation with certain vitamins – above all B1 (thiamine) and folate – is an established topic in nutritional science and described in textbooks. Well established is the basic fact that alcohol influences the water and electrolyte balance; that is physiology, not a promise of effect. Less clear-cut and the subject of ongoing discussion is from what amount and in which people moderate consumption noticeably affects the nutrient balance at all. Here individual diet, drinking habits and metabolism play a major role. For us this means: we stick to what mechanism and physiology allow and refrain from sensationalist figures.

Important: herbal preparations and medications

One point deserves special attention. Some plant extracts and very many medicines should generally not be combined with alcohol. Because the liver processes alcohol and numerous active and plant substances via partly the same pathways, undesirable interactions can occur. If you take medications or would like to combine herbal preparations with alcohol, please clarify this in advance with a doctor or at the pharmacy. During pregnancy and breastfeeding, alcohol is off-limits anyway.

The morning after: fluids and electrolytes

Why does one often feel dried out after a sociable evening? Because alcohol, as described above, inhibits the water retention of the kidneys. One excretes more fluid than one drinks – and electrolytes are lost with the water. That is why the best "trick" is not a preparation but simply water: ideally already during the evening, a glass of water per alcoholic drink and another before going to bed.

Electrolytes such as magnesium and potassium can accompany the fluid balance but do not replace the basic principle of "drinking enough". Anyone who regularly does sport and sweats in the process already knows the interplay of water and electrolytes – the logic is the same. Important for clarification: this is not a "hangover cure" and not a statement about a treatment of complaints but simply the physiology of the fluid balance.

For whom the topic is especially relevant

Alcohol does not have the same significance for everyone in connection with nutrient supply. Those who should keep a particularly close eye on the topic:

• People with regular, higher consumption – here the influence on the supply is most likely to be noticeable.
• Anyone who takes medications – the combination should generally be clarified with a doctor or pharmacist.
• People with an already one-sided diet, in whom there is little buffer in the supply.
• Pregnant and breastfeeding women – here the rule is: no alcohol, quite independently of supplements.

Anyone belonging to one of these groups need not panic in the slightest – but spacing out over time and a conscious basic supply are especially sensible here. For everyday life with many preparations, it is worth taking a look at Creating an intake plan.

Honestly assessed

What is established: alcohol is broken down in the liver, acts as a diuretic and can, with regular, higher consumption, influence the supply of individual B vitamins and electrolytes. Also clear: spacing out over time is a simple, sensible approach. It would not be reputable, by contrast, to sell a preparation as "compensation" for alcohol or even as a hangover cure – supplements are neither a free pass nor an antidote. By far the most effective lever remains the amount that ends up in the glass. Everything else – supplements in the morning, moderation in the evening, enough water in between – is common sense, not secret knowledge.

Matching products from Scheunengut

For a solid basic supply you will find at Scheunengut the categories Vitamins, minerals & trace elements and Minerals with magnesium and potassium preparations. B vitamins as a single or combination preparation are available in the category B vitamins, magnesium bundled under Magnesium. You can go deeper into the topic with the guides Energy: magnesium, iron & B vitamins, Nutrients for the nerves, B vitamins at a glance (B1 to B12), Nutrients for the fluid balance and Supporting the liver naturally.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

How long should I wait between supplements and alcohol?

There is no fixed waiting time. In practice it works well to take the preparations in the morning or during the day and to place alcohol – if at all – in the later evening. This way the absorption of your water-soluble nutrients does not run parallel to the diuretic effect of the alcohol. With medications and plant extracts, the advice from the pharmacy or doctor's surgery additionally applies.

Do I have to skip my vitamins after a glass of wine?

No. A single glass at a meal is something different from regular, higher consumption. With occasional, moderate enjoyment you do not have to change your routine. What matters is amount and frequency, not the single glass.

Which nutrients are most frequently mentioned in connection with alcohol?

Above all B vitamins (especially B1, B6, B12 and folate), as well as magnesium and potassium, because alcohol acts as a diuretic and these electrolytes can be excreted more. This is a factual classification of possible connections, not a statement about a treatment.

Can I combine herbal preparations with alcohol?

Here caution is advised. The liver processes both alcohol and many plant and active substances. With plant extracts and all the more so with medications, you should clarify the combination with alcohol in advance with a doctor or at the pharmacy. During pregnancy and breastfeeding, the rule applies anyway: no alcohol.