- Mice treated with the modified probiotic recovered faster than untreated mice
- Half were still able to turn themselves in more than an hour after exposure to the alcohol
- The transgenic probiotic contained the ADH1B gene
Academics say that taking a probiotic pill before a night out can prevent a hangover and ward off the lasting ill effects of alcohol.
Tests in mice indicated that the specially created supplement may also prevent humans from getting drunk.
It’s full of “good” gut bacteria, similar to Yakult yogurt.
But the genetically modified bean, which has not yet been tested in humans, also contains an enzyme that has been shown to break down alcohol in the body.
Experiments with rats showed that in rodents the probiotics were absorbed with less alcohol.
They also recovered more quickly from the effects of the alcohol.
The findings left the researchers, from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, hopeful that it could lead to a new miracle cure for human hangovers.
They also believe that probiotics could be used in the future to reduce alcohol-related damage to the liver and intestines.
Writing in the journal Microbiology Spectrum, the researchers showed how they genetically engineered a probiotic complex to express a dehydrogenase enzyme in mice.
It regulates how the body converts alcohol into a substance called acetaldehyde, which is a by-product that is released when we drink alcohol.
Acetaldehyde causes a hangover by building up in the liver, causing headaches and accompanying nausea.
Previous studies in mice have shown that a specific type of enzyme, called ADH1B, can speed up the endogenous breakdown of alcohol.
However, this approach has not yet been proven safe in humans.
Searching for a safer method, the researchers used it Lactococcus lactis is a probiotic — a bacterium often used in fermentation — and has cloned ADH1B in it.
It was tested on three groups of five mice, each exposed to different levels of alcohol.
The mice without the probiotics – the control group – showed signs of sugar after only 20 minutes of alcohol exposure.
When the rats were also placed on their backs, they could never get back on their feet.
But among the mice that received a probiotic that showed human ADH1B, half were still able to turn themselves over an hour after exposure to alcohol.
A quarter of them have never lost their ability to turn themselves in.
Further tests showed that two hours after exposure, blood alcohol levels in the control group continued to rise, while those in the probiotic-treated mice began to decrease.
The researchers found that, too The treated mice showed lower levels of lipids and triglycerides — types of fat — in their livers, suggesting that probiotics can mitigate alcohol-induced damage to the organ.
While the probiotic has not yet been tested in humans, scientists speculate that if it offers the same benefit, it could Offers a new way to reduce alcohol-induced health problems, liver problems.
Leading experts have blasphemed about the harms of moderate drinking for decades.
Studies have indicated that a glass of wine or a pint of beer per day can protect against a range of diseases.
Others have argued that even light drinking is dangerous.
The World Health Organization estimates that excessive alcohol consumption kills 3 million people worldwide each year.
In February, the Canadian Center on Substance Abuse and Addiction also recommended that the country’s 38 million residents should limit their alcohol intake to just two bottles of beer a week — a significant drop from ten drinks a week for women and 15 for men.
Brits are urged to drink no more than 14 units a week on a regular basis – the equivalent of six pints of lager or ten small glasses of wine.
The NHS also advises that you spread your drinking out over three or more days to avoid overeating.
“We believe genetically modified probiotics will provide new ideas for treating liver diseases,” said Meng Dong, a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences who worked on the study.
She added that the researchers behind the peer-reviewed study will now investigate whether the effects of modified probiotics seen in mice extend to humans.
“We are excited to improve recombinant probiotics in acute alcohol-induced liver and intestinal damage,” she said.
It comes as Swedish company Myrkl launched its own ‘hangover pill’ in the UK last year.
The company claims that the supplement is scientifically proven to prevent a hangover.
Users are required to take two pills 30 minutes before drinking.
According to Merkel, 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 triggers an immune response.