Can an Olive Oil Shot Really Prevent a Hangover?

Benny Blanco swears by it, but does this strategy actually ease next-day aches? We turned to dietitians for some answers.

Aside from being a songwriter and music producer for several Top 40 hits, a successful record executive, and Selena Gomez’s partner, Benny Blanco is now a bestselling cookbook author. In honor of the debut of Open Wide: A Cookbook for Friends, he went on quite the press-a-palooza, making appearances on podcasts, morning shows, and late night TV.

During one memorable segment on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the comedian/host and Blanco shared a table—rather than sticking to the standard desk and armchair set-up—because “this is an entertainment book. A guide to dining and wining, so I thought it would be fun to have a little kind of dinner with you,” Fallon said. The duo sat behind a table adorned with a platter of sliced steak and crispy potatoes, a big bowl of salad, bowls of strawberries with whipped cream, and two glasses of wine. Oh, and two shot glasses full of olive oil.

“Biggest trick. Olive oil. You take a shot,” Blanco tells Fallon, adding that some “old guys from Italy” shared the tip with his friend Nino. “Before you drink, you take a shot of this. You can’t get hungover. Impossible.”

Blanco went on to insinuate that it coats your stomach and protects you from getting a hangover. Is this really what happens, or is Blanco wasting his time—and olive oil? We asked dietitians for their recommendation.

Meet the Expert

• Roxana Ehsani, M.S., RD, CSSD, is a Miami-based board-certified sports dietitian.
• Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN, is a Dobbs Ferry, New York-based registered dietitian, nutritionist, and author of Everyday Snack Tray.

What Is a Hangover?

A hangover is a collection of symptoms that are triggered by overindulging in alcohol, says Roxana Ehsani, M.S., RD, CSSD.

“Everyone metabolizes alcohol differently, so it’s hard to say how much will cause a hangover,” Ehsani tells Better Homes & Gardens. “Even a moderate amount such as 1 to 2 drinks may cause a hangover in some people.”

Related: How Mocktails Are Driving the Sober Curious Movement, in Dry January and Beyond

Hangover symptoms can vary, but typically include one or more of the following, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA): 

• Fatigue
• Nausea or stomach pain
• Headache
• Muscle aches
• Weakness
• Dizziness
• Anxiety
• Irritability
• Sweating
• Sensitivity to light and/or noise
• Increased blood pressure

So what’s behind these symptoms? 

“The metabolism of alcohol creates acetaldehyde, a toxic byproduct of the breakdown of booze by the liver. This creates inflammation in the brain, the gastrointestinal tract, the pancreas, and the liver,” explains Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN. “It also increases the release of acid in your stomach, which contributes to the generally ‘yucky’ feeling you experience the day after drinking.”

Alcohol consumption increases urination, which may lead to dehydration, Ehsani adds. This may make any of those inflammation-related headaches worse, as can the blood vessel dilation that comes with alcohol consumption.

Related: 3 Hydrating Cocktails to Sip on When You Can’t Escape the Sun

And even though you might fall asleep quickly after an evening of drinking more alcohol than usual, “the quality of sleep ends up being very poor, as your body isn’t able to get into restorative REM sleep. Alcohol disrupts this process, making us feel fatigued and crappy overall,” Ehsani says.

Can Olive Oil Shots Prevent Hangovers?

There are all sorts of hacks touted as “hangover cures,” from taking a cold shower and eating a greasy breakfast with the “hair of the dog” (aka another alcoholic beverage) the next morning to taking a supplement.

None of these work, and most will do more harm than good, the NIAAA confirms.

Blanco and The Association of U.K. Dietitians agree that certain Mediterranean cultures have sworn by “pre-gaming” your drinks with olive oil to line the stomach as another potential hangover hack. But “lining the stomach” is technically impossible. Beyond that, only 20% of the alcohol we consume is absorbed in the stomach; the rest is soaked up in the intestines.

“Any fat, including olive oil, will be digested slowly by the body. If you drink alcohol after taking a shot of olive oil, the alcohol will likely be absorbed at a slower rate than if you had it on an empty stomach. But calling out just olive oil isn’t necessarily accurate,” Ehsani says.

Consuming any food—especially one containing a decent amount of fat and protein—delays how quickly out stomach empties itself and may have a small but scientifically significant effect on slowing the pace of alcohol absorption, research suggests. 

“If you have a complete meal or snack that has carbs, proteins, and fats, your alcoholic drink will also be slowly absorbed too. There’s nothing magical about olive oil,” Ehsani adds. “Any well-balanced meal or fat source would have the same effect.”

Related: 11 Flavorful, Healthy Mediterranean Recipes to Make for Dinner

There are certainly far worse habits you could have than consuming your daily dose of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats via olive oil, though. One recent study found that individuals who consume 1 ½ tablespoons (half of a mixology “shot”) of extra virgin olive oil are shown to be at 57% lower risk for dying of cardiovascular disease than their peers who had no olive oil.

But don’t feel like you need to consume that olive oil in a shot. Largeman-Roth and Ehsani swear by these olive oil uses:

• A dip for sourdough bread
• Tossed with vegetables before roasting or grilling
• Drizzled over fish, seafood, pasta, or soup
• In a salad dressing or marinade

Related: What to Know Before You Start Adding Olive Oil to Your Coffee at Home

The Best Tips to Prevent a Hangover, According to Dietitians

The only real “cures” for a hangover after it happens are time and hydration, Largeman-Roth says.

To help prevent hangovers before they happen, try these expert-approved strategies:

• Fuel up: Avoid drinking on an empty stomach. Eat a well-balanced meal or large snack, containing all of the three macronutrients (carbs, protein, and fat) before you order your first drink. If you’d like to include olive oil as part of that, awesome. Extra virgin olive oil is one of several anti-inflammatory foods, alongside berries, whole grains, seafood, and cruciferous veggies, Largeman-Roth says. “Since some of the side-effects of drinking too much booze are related to inflammation, it’s possible [but not proven] that these foods could be helpful in relieving some symptoms,” she explains.
• Keep tabs on your consumption: “Although people may not want to hear this, sticking to a moderate amount of alcohol is really the only surefire way to prevent a hangover, which is one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men,” Ehsani says.
• Limit certain drinks: Largeman-Roth explains that for some people who are sensitive to congeners (natural byproducts of distillation and fermentation found in dark spirits, such as bourbon and dark rum) and added sulfites (added to some wines as a preservative) may make hangovers worse. If you tend to notice harsher hangovers after consuming these drinks, try something else from behind the bar—or switch to one of these tasty non-alcoholic drinks.
• Prioritize hydration: Drink plenty of water before and while drinking. Largeman-Roth swears by the “one-to-one” trick. Plan to consume at least one full glass of water between every alcoholic drink, and sip on a glass as you imbibe, too.

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