Vitamin Supplement Aimed at Helping Consumers Feel Better After They Drink Alcohol Expands into More Stores, Including Beverage and Liquor Stores

Photo from B4

A company called B4 is expanding U.S. availability of its eponymous vitamin-based “precovery” supplement across 300 stores on the West Coast and in the South, bringing the total number of retailers carrying the supplement to 800. B4 is a non-caffeinated beverage supplement with electrolytes, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals that is said to help combat the aftereffects of alcohol consumption.

Some of the retailers now carrying B4 include liquor stores like BevMo!, Big Red Liquors, Applejack Wine & Spirits, Kappy’s Fine Wine & Spirits, Gordon’s Fine Wines & Liquors, Huntington Wine & Spirits, Lee’s Discount Liquor, Rouses Markets, and Total Wine & More.

John Mansour, cofounder, creator, B4, tells Nutritional Outlook that the particular mix of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, electrolytes, and amino acids in B4 helps the body “continue to process and remove the damaging alcohol and its byproducts to keep the liver protected and damage from occurring.” Some of the active components in B4, including vitamins B3 (niacin) and B6 (pyridoxine), zinc and calcium, and plant extracts like milk thistle extract (Silybum marianum), help to protect the liver, Mansour says. He adds that B4 also contains glutathione, which is “the body’s most powerful antioxidant produced in the liver.”

The company says that consuming one can of B4 prior to drinking yields best results; however, it also notes that drinking B4 during or after alcohol consumption can also help to “replace what the body has depleted.” Adds Mansour: “Our goal is to make sure your body is prepared for the battle alcohol puts it through.”

According to Mansour, B4 can also be taken as a vitamin supplement even without drinking alcohol. “Everything is processed through your liver,” he explains. “The vitamins will help support overall liver health, and your body will get rid of any excess.” Also, although B4 is caffeine-free, its high concentration of B vitamins may provide a natural metabolic energy boost, he says.

While similar products exist in liquid, powder, and pill forms, Mansour says, he states that B4 was the first company to market its supplement as a “pre-drinking” supplement. Aside from that distinction, he says, B4 is a unique product for a few reasons. Some of the competitor products that focus on mitigating the effects of alcohol consumption post-drinking are advised to be taken the in the morning after a night of consuming alcohol, rather than prior to consuming alcohol. Other types of products consumers may typically take after consuming alcohol include caffeine and aspirin, which Mansour says is not a viable solution for addressing hangover symptoms due to the potential negative combined effects of alcohol and aspirin on the liver.

B4 comes in grape, orange, or berry flavors, and can also be purchased online. Mansour says that B4’s largest consumer category is men and women between the ages of 24-35 “who are social drinkers and like to go out, but also have to wake up and be responsible in the morning”; for example, young professionals, parents, and generally health-conscious consumers.

“Our product continues to gain popularity, as consumers experience its effectiveness in helping them wake up ready for the day after a night of drinking,” said Mansour in a press release. “We’re excited to make the product more accessible and believe consumers deserve transparency about how the body processes alcohol and why our exclusive, science-based formula can help.”

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