Nights of debauchery, mornings of ibuprofen. When alcohol gets out of hand, it is very common that the next morning we have to live with the dreaded hangover, a feeling of extreme tiredness, headache and general malaise. Remedies for a hangover is one of the most popular searches on the internet, especially after parties as important as Christmas, however, on July 11 they are going to launch some pills that promise to be the long-awaited miracle to prevent them.
It is Myrkl (AB001), a probiotic supplement in the form of capsules that contains two bacteria, Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus coagulans (also found in yogurt and kimchi), which are obtained in the fermentation of fermented rice, and two vitamins , L-cysteine (found in tuna and oatmeal) and vitamin B12. The idea is that with these bacteria and minerals it is possible to prevent alcohol from reaching the liver, to do so they break it down and convert the intestine into water and carbon dioxide.
In this process, a very small amount of acetaldehyde or acetic acid is generated, a toxic enzyme that, according to María Iranzo, a biotechnologist, “is involved in liver damage and even cancer. This molecule interacts directly with DNA and causes mutations and chromosomal damage. It also binds to a variety of proteins distorting liver function and structure, increasing oxidative stress, lipid accumulation, inflammation and fibrosis.”
Myrkl promises to break down 70% of blood alcohol in one hour
In conclusion, Myrkl promises that taking two of his pills at least an hour before alcohol consumption could cause 50% of this substance to be broken down from the blood in half an hour and 70% of the alcohol in the blood to disappear after one drink. hour. “Myrkl is in no way designed as an excuse to drink beyond NHS (UK National Health Service) guidelines. Myrkl’s purpose is to help regular moderate drinkers wake up feeling their best the next day, whether they are busy professionals, young parents or seniors who want to maintain an active social life,” said Håkan Magnusson, CEO of Myrkl.
The Myrkl will be available from July 11 for some European countries, its price is about 35 euros and 30 pills come
At the moment, the supplement from the Swedish pharmaceutical company De Faire Medical – which is sold as 100% natural and vegan – is only shipped to the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Ireland, Norway, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Austria, Finland and Switzerland. No, we are sorry, but they do not (for now) ship to Spain. Its price is 30 pounds (about 35 euros) for 30 capsules, so trying to avoid a hangover would cost you about two and a half euros each time.
Its effects are supported by a study published in Nutrition and Metabolic Insights, which has been carried out by the Swedish company in which 24 young adults with an average age of 25 participated, half took two capsules of AB001 and the other half took a placebo for a week . After that time they were given a light breakfast and 0.3 grams of vodka per kilogram of body weight, about half a glass, and had their blood alcohol levels tested over the next two hours.
The results showed that in the first hour the amount of alcohol in the blood was 70% lower in those who took Myrkl than in those in the placebo group. All very well, but is this method really effective to avoid a hangover? Let’s see what the experts think about it.
Myrkl is it really effective against hangovers?
First of all, it must be said that this is not the first pill that promises to prevent a hangover after drinking, others such as Resalim – a supplement to metabolize drinks – have been on the market for some time, although with a different composition. It could be the first alcohol-induced sickness supplement to prove its effectiveness in a study, though this could also be debated.
And it is that, the study has been carried out in only 24 people – only 12 of whom tried the pill – and with a completely different dosage than that indicated on the packaging, the research was done taking two pills daily for a week before drinking alcohol, while on the box it says that they should be taken at least 1 hour before or at most 12 hours. On the other hand, results were only provided for 14 of the participants. To conclude, the study itself reflects that it has been financed by DeFaire Medical, and that its authors include a scholarship holder from the company and the founder and shareholder of DeFaire Medical. The conflict of interest seems obvious.
As The Conversation points out, the results of this small trial that provides the scientific basis for the effectiveness of this new anti-hangover promise leaves more questions than answers: since it does not reveal whether the pill works in people who are not young, healthy and white, nor if their effects are the same in men and women, or if food or other drugs can alter the benefit promised by the action of these pills.
In any case, it should be clarified that since Myrkl is not considered a medicine, it has not required approval for its marketing by the British Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
Dr. Mark Porter, a family doctor and regular columnist for The Times newspaper, considers Myrkl “a safe bet for this year’s most useless product.” Well, according to him, this supplement contains “special bacteria that, like many microbes, are very effective at metabolizing alcohol, but there are better ways to avoid a hangover.”
“The fact that this pill is now extremely accessible means we could easily see an increase in binge drinking.”
Sally Adams, Associate Professor at the School of Psychology at the University of Birmingham (UK), told Euronews Next that “as the evidence stands, there are no products that can prevent or cure a hangover. When we think of hangovers, it’s easy to think of them as simply being too dehydrated. It is dehydration; A headache; an electrolyte balance or imbalance; irritation of the stomach and small intestine: these are very complex processes for a product to solve them”.
In addition, these types of products can increase alcohol consumption because “the fact that this pill is now extremely accessible means that we could easily see an increase in binge drinking with people using this pill as an excuse to consume more, which that could be extremely harmful to people’s health and well-being,” Adams warns.
On the other hand, we must not forget that these are probiotics that, although they are safe in most cases, in people with diseases they could alter the natural balance of the healthy microbiota, increasing the risk of infections or intestinal symptoms. Therefore, and until there is more scientific evidence, the best way to avoid a hangover is to not drink alcohol at all.
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