Hangover-Proof Booze? Fortifying Liquor With Oxygen Might Be the Key
The effects of alcohol are generally pleasant until they're not anymore, at which point they become blindingly painful and, in some cases, quite dangerous. Whether or not a hard-partying type is struck by a crippling hangover or a sudden desire to text his or her ex is generally dependent on how that individual metabolizes and eliminates alcohol in his or her body. A new study suggests that we could quite easily engineer our tipple to help us break down alcohol faster, reducing that morning-after sensation of intense pain (or intense regret) by simply adding more oxygen to our booze. The body metabolizes ethanol through a series of oxidization reactions that reduce it to water and carbon dioxide for easy processing. A handful of enzymes are responsible for this critical step, but those enzymes are worthless without oxygen to kick the reactions into gear. So the idea is simple: more oxygen, better...