Scientists may be on their way to creating a pill that will not only prevent a hangover but also keep the harmful effects of alcohol at bay. The gel swallowed 30 minutes before your first drink can prevent you from getting drunk and protect your liver and other organs.

A report by the Daily Mail states that the gel was developed by researchers at ETH University in Zurich, Switzerland. It turns alcohol into a harmless liquid as it passes through the gastrointestinal tract.

Alcohol is absorbed by the mucosa lining the stomach and intestines, and from there the blood is carried to other parts of the body, such as the liver, brain and kidneys. Because it affects the brain, feel-good hormones are secreted. But as you drink more, it begins to depress the central nervous system.

The liver converts the ethanol in alcohol into another form of alcohol called acetaldehyde, which is primarily responsible for headaches, dehydration, and other symptoms associated with hangovers. It is converted to acetic acid, which is then excreted through the kidneys.

The gel acts directly on the stomach, absorbing alcohol before it enters the bloodstream. It converts it into acetic acid, which then passes through the stomach or intestines and into our circulation. In the absence of toxic substances, alcohol will not get you “high”, this also prevents a hangover.

Scientists conducted a study to understand the effect of certain ingredients on alcohol and published their results in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

They took iron, glucose, and gold, which are said to rapidly break down alcohol into acetic acid, and mixed them with a gel made from whey protein. The gel was then given to eight mice, and they were given alcohol 20 minutes later. They found that the blood alcohol level of gel-fed mice was almost half that of the other group.

Six hours later, all the mice were placed in a maze and had to find their way out. Those fed with gel found the exit much faster.

Other tests showed that alcohol did not affect the livers of mice fed the gel, while the livers of mice in the other group became inflamed.

The team is preparing to test the gel on humans.

But if the gel limits the enjoyment of alcohol, will it attract people’s attention?

Scientists say the real benefit of the gel may be for people who cannot cut down on alcohol. For them, it can help reduce intoxication and alcohol-related damage.

“The obvious alternative is to drink less or not drink at all,” says David Nutt, professor of neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London.

“But for everyone else it doesn’t make economic sense because you’ll have to pay for the cost of the gel plus the cost of the ‘wasted’ alcohol.”

He added that “similar anti-alcohol products have been tried in the past” without success.

A Swedish company launched a probiotic called Myrkl in 2022, marketed as a “pre-drinking pill”. It was supposed to be taken an hour before drinking. The company claimed that two tablets, valued at $1.28 each, could reduce the amount of alcohol entering the bloodstream by approximately 70 percent.

However, since only one study has been conducted on humans, the effectiveness of the pill is not fully clear.