Scientists develop gel that could lead to a new way of treating hangovers

The worst part about a night out is the morning after - dealing with a pounding headache and a hangover that ruins your plans for the day.

Thankfully, relief may be on the way as scientists have developed a gel that can reduce the intoxicating effects of alcohol.

To create the gel, the researchers boiled whey proteins for several hours to form long, thin fibrils.

Adding salt and water to the mix as a solvent formed a gel.

Although it hasn't yet been tested in humans, studies on mice show that the gel reduced alcohol levels in the blood by up to 50% and protected their body from alcohol's harmful effects.

Much of the damage of excessive alcohol consumption is caused by acetaldehyde, a toxic byproduct, researchers say.

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However, the gel converts alcohol quickly and efficiently into 'harmless' acetic acid before it can enter the bloodstream, where it normally develops intoxicating effects.

'The gel shifts the breakdown of alcohol from the liver to the digestive tract. In contrast to when alcohol is metabolised in the liver, no harmful acetaldehyde is produced as an intermediate product,' said study co-author Raffaele Mezzenga from ETH Zurich in Germany.

The alcohol-suppressing effect of the gel also requires hydrogen peroxide, which is generated by a reaction between glucose and gold nanoparticles packed into the gel.

The gel proved effective in mice that consumed alcohol both once and regularly for 10 days.

About 30 minutes after the mice were given alcohol, their blood alcohol levels dropped by 40%. After five hours, the levels had decreased by as much as 56% compared to the control group.

Additionally, the study team said that the gel also 'greatly reduced' stress reactions in the livers of the mice.

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Mice given the gel after 10 days of alcohol consumption showed 'significantly less weight loss, less liver damage and hence better fat metabolism in the liver as well as better blood values,' according to the scientists.

A note of caution however: the gel is only effective as long as there is still alcohol in the gut, and can do very little once once the alcohol has crossed into the bloodstream.

'The gel could be of particular interest to people who don’t want to give up alcohol completely, but don’t want to put a strain on their bodies and aren’t actively seeking the effects of alcohol,' Dr. Mezzenga said.

With further research, scientists are hopeful that the gel could be developed into an oral pill, taken before or during alcohol consumption to prevent blood alcohol levels from rising and protect the body from toxic byproducts.