The teacher David Nutt can revolutionize the way of leisure in the world thanks to felta non-alcoholic drink, which produces the same effects as the alcoholbut that does not harm health and does not leave a hangover. This new drink, which will begin to be marketed in 2025, will allow the parties to become unforgettable dates since you will have to be careful not to drink because you have to drive and the only thing you worry about the next day is the hours of sleep because the hangovers will pass away.
And it is that Nutt, director of the neuropsychopharmacology unit at the Imperial College London, his crusade against the effects of alcohol on the body began decades ago and his entire career has been dedicated to finding a solution to this problem, which shortens life and fills the different specialties of hospitals with patients. “It has always been one of my biggest research interests. As a doctor, you are always faced with alcohol problems. Every time you go to work, you see someone with alcohol problems. So I’ve always wanted to give young people an alternative to this addictive and toxic substancewhich in the end could kill 3.5 million people prematurely a year”, he indicated a few years ago in an interview.
Now, it seems that he is going to materialize his dreams with Sentia, a molecular compound whose objective is to replace alcoholic substances in the manufacture of various types of beverages. According to Nutt, the compound guarantees the positive sensations of alcohol but without harming the body. “It’s like alcohol but better”read the first advertisements for the drink that was initially going to be called Alcarelle
How does this drink work?
When alcohol enters the body certain neurotransmitters and other receptors in the brain and provides a feeling of encouragement, confidence and even some drowsiness. For this reason, Nutt looked for a way to activate these receptors but without using the elements that damage health. Or put another way, lose inhibition but without losing control. In addition, in this way it would end poisoning, dependence on these substances and withdrawal syndrome.
Nutt and his team have been working on the project for the last 10 years and the result of this is the Sentia molecule, which causes the same effects as alcohol but makes these effects stabilize and does not lose control. They define the feeling as having several glasses of wine. And the hangover does not appear because the new drink eliminates all interactions with organs such as the liver, so it does not produce acetaldehyde, responsible for the feeling of morning sickness.
“Assuming you’re not a heavy drinker and your brain receptors haven’t been desensitized, then you’ll have an effect like a glass of wine. “It is a soft effect, relaxation but without sleep. It just feels a little cold. No matter how much you take, you will not get a greater effect but a longer one,” says Nutt.
The scientist, from Imperial College London, added that his synthetic alcohol is like a flavorless liquor that can be mixed with any soft drink and takes about 15 minutes to take effect.
the origin of everything
In 1983, when Nutt was still studying for his PhD, he found the possible “cure” for drunkenness. It was a drug that if taken while under the influence of alcohol, reversed the effects and returned the person to a state of sobriety. To do this, he managed to get the drug to modify a specific receptor in the brain called Gaba, which is the main one affected when alcohol is consumed. With the drink, the recipient gaba and your entire system calm brain activity causing fewer neurons to fire, so your “antidote” was focused on reactivating this function. The experiments with laboratory rats were a complete success, but the problem was getting it to the general public because if a sober person took it, they would could cause seizures similar to those of alcohol withdrawal syndrome. It was an important step, but not decisive because it reversed the drunken state but did not prevent physical damage. But it was the basis of what will soon be a reality.
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