h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

http://www.esquire.com/blogs/food-for-men/how-not-to-get-drunk
How to drink all night without getting drunk

"You see, what Owades knew was that active dry yeast has an enzyme in it called alcohol dehydrogenases (ADH). Roughly put, ADH is able to break alcohol molecules down into their constituent parts of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Which is the same thing that happens when your body metabolizes alcohol in its liver. Owades realized if you also have that enzyme in your stomach when the alcohol first hits it, the ADH will begin breaking it down before it gets into your bloodstream and, thus, your brain."

Leaving aside the obvious exaggeration of the headline, I'm going to give this a go because anything that mitigates the affects of alcohol on the brain must also mitigate at least some of the hangover, and that's a big plus as far as I'm concerned

What a pleasant coincidence that, since I do so much bread-making (and buns and teacakes and other delicious baked goods) I just happen to have most of a 2lb pack of active dry yeast in the freezer

Looking forward to your report on this experiment.

Hmmm.. yes... but... yeast, clearly also contains the enzymes necessary to make alcohol from sugars, as, well, that's what they do Hmmm....

Yes, alcohol is simply yeast piss.

so... its gona make alcohol.... from the sugars and carbs lurking in ones tummy.... Also, and certainly for spirits, the absorption of alcohol starts straight away, in ones mouth, and suchlike, before it even reaches ones stomach...

I'll be conducting some preliminary experiments over the weekend, and then giving the theory a good workout next Tuesday when I'm meeting a friend at one of the local pubs I'm sure there'll be a lot of experimentation. After all, science demands that I'm 100% sure of my results, and whatever I find has to be able to replicated by others, then peer-reviewed

so... like according to this idea; I could just get soem of my active dry yeast... mix it with, I dunno, some milk and honey... let it froth up a bit, and down it, before I go out... I'd have thought haveing lively bubbly about fermenting yeastyies inside my tummy would make it feel a bit odd actually hmmm.... Not sure I want to try this experiment myself or not; can you just do it for us all, and then report back?

From reading the discussion on reddit, I suggest you make note of how flatulent this may make you.

Err...that thing that happens "when your body metabolizes alcohol in its liver"? I wouldn't be too keen on it happening in many places *outside* the liver.

I was wondering about the, er, sound effects this might produce, BG. I guess we'll find out On the other hand, beer does taste pretty good on the burp

Here's a thing that may already have answered the question though: "Roughly put, ADH is able to break alcohol molecules down into their constituent parts of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Which is the same thing that happens when your body metabolizes alcohol in its liver".

Presumably, we're not talking about large volumes of hydrogen and oxygen. If your liver produced enough of them - the sort of quantity that would create a decent burp - when it's metabolising alcohol, I'm not so sure it could get all that gas into the blood quickly enough to prevent it from exploding The liver is one of the most... oh, I can't remember the word now, the one that means having a great many blood vessels. Anyway, it's one of the most organs in the body, but I think even so, that would be beyond its capabilities. And I can't imagine it would be a very good thing anyway, to have several burp's-worth of gas pushed into the bloodstream that quickly.

So, if the quantities of gas *are* that small, I don't think they'll be a problem in your stomach and intestines. There's probably not enough there to even produce a decent fart.

But don't trust me - I'm not a

Given the effect that yeasty beer seems to have on my guts...

Can I recommend Cycle Clips

I'll have mine with most of the yeast settled out thanks

Vascular is the word your looking for.

also, unless I am much mistaken in my memorys of my accademic studies, the notion of the liver metabolising the alcohol down to consituant parts, visa as Gasses, is incorrect; the notion further, of these gases passing directly into the blood stream, is plain wrong; gas in the blood stream would result in death; CO2, and O2, carried in blood, for example, these are not carried as 'free' gases, rahter anealed (bound), to other molecules, only when in the very tiniest blood vessels, and indeed, really, outside* of these blood vessels (in the so-called interstitial fluid that 'pushes out' of blood, to 'bath' the surrouding tissues of the body, does the gas unbind from molecules such as haemoglobin, to get to individual cells in the tissues, as oxygen gas, thence into the cells to take part in respiration) Hmmm.... I'm gona have to go look up now, what it is that alcohol is broken down to by the liver... I'm sure I used to know; and the answer Is, I thinkg* some really toxic chemical (which itself is partly responsible for cellular death in the body, as a consequence of metabolising and thence drinking booze) keytones.... nah.... thats the diabetic stuff ... Hmmm.... hang on

Also, and additionally, albeit from personal experience I do recall, many many many years ago, myself and my Father, getting rather too eager to drink some home brew beer, and well, kinda drinking it whilst it was still fermenting. result of which left us so* feeling so* ill.... hmm, actually that felt more ill than a few years later when I had a brain hemoridge.... seriously...

Vascular. That's the one Now why couldn't I remember that

Well yes, I know that free gas in the bloodstream is a very bad thing. (I do have a human biology O level you know ) and that oxygen and carbon dioxide don't flow through veins and arteries in that state, and that if the liver was metabolising them they'd enter the bloodstream bound to other molecules, such as haemoglobin. I was being obtuse

bottoms. couldn't find my Digital copy of my main biochem textbook... on this machine... but the net jogged my memory, and so... ths far;
More than 90% of the ethyl alcohol that enters the body is completely oxidized to acetic acid, almost entirely in the liver; non-metabolised alcohol, leaves the body in sweat, urine, or the breath (hence why breathalisers work). There are at least three differnt biochemical pathways for metabolising ethanol in the body, but one is the main one, that really means the otters don't add much to it;

in liver, with the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase.

CH3CH2OH + NAD+ -> CH3CHO + NADH + H+.
=, the highly toxic; acetaldehyde.

the enzyme acetaldehyde dehydrogenase then converts acetaldehyde to acetic acid, which is a normal metabolite in humans and hence is non toxic.

So, if I read that right...

Drink beer, make vinegar

yeh... guess so... but as its the yeast, in the not totally fermented beer, which made the vinager in ones tummy, just* having the yeast oughta do the same.... I'm not, basically convinced enough to try this ingesting yeast idea mnyself, then* go out for a drink.... I think I'd quickly end up doing an impression of an inexperienced teenager drinker and making a mess on teh pavement

It's more like "drink beer, get poisoned before you can turn it to vinegar".

I'll be sure to let you know if that happens

I think you'll be ok. I'm sceptical that your stomach will start acting as a liver just because you put some yeast in it!

I suspect the whole article was made up just to set up the joke about white powder.