By Jack Peat.
Tests on mice show a prolonged alcohol tolerance and shortened recovery time
Hangovers could soon be a thing of the past thanks to a new probiotic pill that has been shown to stave off alcohol’s lasting ill effects.
University boffins in the US have been doing tests on a genetically engineered pill that contains an enzyme proven to break down alcohol in the body.
Testing it on three groups of five mice, they discovered that those exposed to alcohol had reduced absorption, prolonged tolerance, and a shortened recovery time.
The first group – the control group – didn’t consume the probiotic and showed signs of drunkenness just 20 minutes after exposure to alcohol.
When the mice were also placed on their backs, they were unable to get back on their feet.
But of the mice who received a probiotic that expressed human ADH1B, half were still able to turn themselves over an hour after alcohol exposure.
A quarter never lost their ability to turn themselves over.
They also recovered more quickly from the effects of booze.
The results have left the researchers, from the Chinese Academy of Science, hopeful that it will lead to a new miracle hangover cure for humans.
They also believe probiotics could, in the future, be used to reduce alcohol-related damage to the liver and intestines.
Writing in the journal Microbiology Spectrum, Meng Dong, a post doctoral researcher at the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, who worked on the study, said: “We believe that genetically engineered probiotics will provide new ideas for the treatment of liver diseases.”
The researchers behind the peer-reviewed study will now investigate whether the effects of modified probiotics seen on mice extend to humans, she added.
“We are excited about the improvement of recombinant probiotics in acute alcohol-induced liver and intestinal damage.”
It comes as the Swedish company Myrkl launched its own ‘hangover cure pill’ in the last year.
The company claims the supplement is scientifically proven to prevent a hangover.
Users are instructed to take two pills 30 minutes before drinking.
According to Myrkl, the pill contains bacteria capable of breaking down the majority of alcohol in the body before it reaches the liver.
Research shows that when the liver breaks down alcohol, it releases toxins into the body which trigger an immune response.
