We tend to accept a hangover as the price we pay for a drunken fun night.
A splitting headache, nausea, and crippling anxiety are just some of the costs that come with having fun in the morning.
Studies show that folk remedies such as ginseng, Korean pear juice, and prickly pear don’t do much to relieve pain.
But what if there really was a cure for a hangover? What if you could still drink and not risk any of the health dangers associated with drinking?
Swiss scientists have discovered that a new gel can drastically reduce the level of alcohol in the blood – that is, of intoxicated rats.
If proven safe and effective in humans, the product could one day be used to combat the harmful effects of excessive alcohol consumption or offer a quick way to sober up.
“It is healthier not to drink alcohol,” said Professor Raffaele Mezzenga from the Food and Soft Materials Laboratory at ETH Zurich.
“However, the gel may be of particular interest to people who do not want to give up alcohol completely, but do not want to overload their bodies and do not actively seek out the effects of alcohol,” he added.
The team made the gel from a whey protein called beta-lactoglobulin.
When taken before drinking, the protein works by breaking down the drink into acetic acid, rather than the more toxic chemical acetaldehyde, which contributes to the symptoms of a hangover.
Previous studies have found that acetaldehyde may increase the risk of cancer by breaking down and damaging the DNA of human cells.
The latest study, published in Nature’s Nanotechnologyanalyzed how a group of rats reacted to having unlimited access to ethanol, the type of alcohol used in drinks, for 10 days.
The researchers then administered the gel to the mice and their blood alcohol levels dropped by just over 55% after four hours.
This is a much faster reduction than that seen in another group of intoxicated rats that did not receive the gel, the expert wrote.
Acetaldehyde levels also decreased dramatically in the first group after these mice ate the gel.
In another part of the experiment, the team found that mice that consumed alcohol every day for ten days and ate the gel during the same period had much healthier organs than those that didn’t consume it.
THE RISKS OF DRINKING TOO MUCH
O National Health Service advises men and women not to regularly exceed 14 drink units per week.
You should also spread your drink over three or more days if you regularly consume up to 14 units per week.
For reference, 14 units are equivalent to six liters of medium strength beer or 10 small glasses of lower strength wine.
Here’s a guide to how many units are in your favorite drink:
- A small dose of distillate = 1 unit
- Small glass of red, white or rosé wine = 1.5 units
- Bottle of beer, lager or cider = 1.7 units
- Can of beer, lager or cider = 2.4 units
- Half a liter of lager beer, beer or cider of lower concentration = 2 units
- Standard glass of red, white or rosé wine = 2.1 units
- Half a liter of lager, beer or higher strength cider = 3 units
- Large glass of red, white or rosé wine = 3 units
Drinking more than that can increase your risk of a number of deadly diseases, including fatty liver disease, heart disease and cancer.
Recent research has revealed that alcohol-dependent teenagers are at greater risk of suffering from depression and other mental health problems by the age of 24.
In the meantime, these are 17 signs you’re a functioning alcoholic.
It is estimated that alcohol consumption is responsible for around three million deaths worldwide each year.
The UK recorded 9,641 alcohol-related deaths – representing 14.8 per 100,000 people – the highest number recorded so far, according to census data.
Long-term effects of alcohol misuse
Drinking large amounts of alcohol for many years will affect many organs in the body and may cause organ damage.
Some of them include:
Source: SNS
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