You already know that drinking alcohol is a drag when it comes to improving your health and fitness levels, but for some, kicking back with a beer or enjoying some fizz at a celebration is something to savor. Still, waking up the next day with a head that feels like a scene from out of a Woody Woodpecker cartoon is an experience that none of us love. Then there are the more sobering side-effects like alcohol poisoning and even cancer. Fortunately, scientists think they have found that whey protein can cure a hangover.
A new study highlighting the advances of nanotechnology has appeared to show that a protein-based gel designed to breakdown the harmful effects of alcohol in the gastrointestinal tract, before it can do damage to the body, could be a glugging gamechanger. To create the gel, researchers boiled whey protein for several hours so that they changed shape; developing into long and thin fibrils. Next, individual iron atoms were spread evenly over the protein fibrils.
Then, a small amount of hydrogen peroxide was added to the mix, along with glucose and gold particles to complete the gel. “Administering the gelatinous nanozyme to mice suffering from alcohol intoxication significantly reduced their blood-alcohol levels (decreased by 55.8% 300 min post-alcohol intake) without causing additional acetaldehyde build-up,” said the study. “Our hydrogel further demonstrates a protective effect on the liver, while simultaneously mitigating intestinal damage and dysbiosis associated with chronic alcohol consumption, introducing a promising strategy in effective alcohol detoxification.” In short, this gel doesn’t just protect from the effects of acetaldehyde, but it actively improves organ health.
What is Acetaldehyde?
Acetaldehyde is a byproduct of drinking alcohol and it not only damages your DNA and prevents recovery but it can also create cancerous tumors. Acetaldehyde is also known for contributing to the symptoms of a depressing hangover.
In the new study, mice were given alcohol for 10 days, with the gel proving to reduce harmful acetaldehyde accumulations leading to less stress on the liver and healthier blood readings. ”In addition, despite this shift in the site of alcohol metabolism, there is no manifestation of additional adverse gastrointestinal symptoms,” (as a result of the eating the gel) confirms the report. Scientists have now applied for a patent for the gel, and human testing will be likely now follow at a future stage, with researchers feeling confident that regulatory approval shouldn’t be too difficult, since whey protein fibrils underscore the edible gel. So, in the future, the humble whey protein shake can cure a hangover, possibly, and could potentially spare us some embarrassing moments, foggy brains, and even save lives.