Ever heard that a bit of alcohol can stop food poisoning? Well, TikTok is buzzing with claims that a shot of alcohol might save you if you’ve eaten something sketchy.
But is it true?
Not really. Even the research is all over the place, with tiny studies here and there and many inconclusive results.
The Key Takeaway.
Alcohol can’t prevent or stop food poisoning. Even research on it is inconclusive. Alcohol isn’t strong enough to kill the bacteria and it weakens your immune system, making things worse. It also masks your symptoms for a while but doesn’t fix anything. It just adds to the stress on your body.
What’s Food Poisoning?
Food poisoning is CRAZY! It’s what happens when you eat or drink something contaminated, usually bacteria, viruses, or other gross stuff (pathogens) that messes up your stomach.
The symptoms of food poisoning are nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, and diarrhea. Plus, you’ll feel wiped out and weak, like you got hit by a bus.
The worst part?
You never really know what caused it. Was it last night’s pizza, today’s sushi, or that sketchy street taco?
Can Alcohol Really Prevent Food Poisoning?
In short, nope. Alcohol does have some germ-killing powers, but it’s not strong enough to help you. You’d need to drink way more than is safe to kill the bacteria from the food poisoning and too much alcohol will end up messing up your immune system. Plus, alcohol would only mask the symptoms for a bit, but it won’t actually fix anything.
Basically, alcohol is NO match for food poisoning.
Think about it. Food poisoning comes from any kind of food. And don’t forget, alcohol weakens your immune system, making you more vulnerable to food poisoning. That is you letting the bad guy in and giving them VIP treatment.
Yes, alcohol can temporarily mask the symptoms, but you get it. We’re still not saying it’s a good idea.
How Does The Body Process Alcohol After Food Poisoning?
When you drink, the alcohol goes into your bloodstream and heads straight to your liver to be broken down. This process is HARD on your body, which is why you feel hungover after drinking.
Now, if you have food poisoning, your body is already stressed out. Your digestive system is working hard to get rid of the bad stuff, causing nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
And then you drink alcohol? When you should be drinking water!!
Yeah you’ve just added fuel to the fire. Your body is already struggling with food poisoning, and now it has to deal with the alcohol too. This mixture makes a double hit on your body. Alcohol also slows down your body’s ability to get rid of the toxins, making the poisoning last longer.
