What do we know about alcohol?
That it is a powerful OXIDANT. Oh my God! Today we keep on hearing: take Vit C because is a powerful antioxidant, herb X is a powerful antioxidant…so many superfoods, superherbs are praised as powerful antioxidants, they have to be ANTI. So, if we want to be healthy it seems that all we have to do is eat ANTI-oxidants, so that we won’t oxidate! 🙂
Alcohol seems to be our ferocious enemy, because it is oxidant! And not only. Yet we have only one life to live. How would it be to toast with a glass of green smoothie? All life? With all occasions? Come on… We take our chances.
Alcohol was always a part of our lives. Admitting or not. Our youth is marked by it. It’s like a necessary stage we’ve all been through. And we have all learnt that there should be a limit, a balance, in consuming it. And we also know something else. A secret they never tell us: honey can help us a lot, before drinking, while drinking, and especially after that. Here is why.
NO, this doesn’t mean that I encourage alcohol consumption. But we do drink from time to time, and when we do it, we should try to ensure some protection to our liver. We have only one.
Some scientific explanations to back this up?
The enzyme that detoxifies alcohol in the liver is dehydrogenase. It converts the alcohol to acetaldehyde and then to acetic acid. All these reactions need, and thus use up, (very quickly), all available supplies of the coenzyme nicotinomide adenine dinucleotide, known as NAD, which will then be reduced to NADH (the oxidized form) in the process.
So, the detoxification of the alcohol in the liver, depends on the available amount of NAD.
When we eat honey, the fructose from it will help the liver by rapidly recycling the reduced enzyme NADH back to NAD, and restarting the cycle of alcohol detoxification. Meaning, the liver is now capable of detoxifying another amount of alcohol. (according to HP Rang and MM Dale in “Fructose recycling of NAD from NADH”, Pharmacology Churchill Livinstone1991, Edinburgh, Chapter 39.)
Even more, honey also has a lot of ANTIOXIDANTS, which will ensure protection against free radicals.
Dr. Noori Al-Waili had demonstrated the benefits of honey on liver, protecting and preserving its function. He said that honey “significally modifies and ameliorates biochemical and hematological changes” within the body, on an exclusive honey feeding (at least 50% concentration of honey). Yet, nobody can eat so much honey, so don’t push it!
Can we still fix the liver after alcohol-injury?
The American Journal of Chinese Medicine published in 1997 “The hepatoprotective and therapeutic effects of propolis ethanol extract on chronic alcohol-induced liver injuries.” by Lin SC, Chan CF, Chung CY and Hsu SH. In the studies the authors made on mice, it was revealed that PROPOLIS does counteract the effects of alcohol liver injury.
Propolis also has been shown to counteract the paracetamol induced liver damage, or carbon tetrachloride liver damages. Responsible for these are the phenolics contained in the honey, which ensure a hepatoprotective function.
Can we stop the craving for alcohol?
Yet, if you see your teen going to a party, or you intend to party one night to remember, just stick a large spoon of honey into your mouth (or your teen’s mouth). And again, when you come back home. Your liver will surely thank you.
References:
Ron Fessenden, MD, MPH, “The new honey revolution”, TGBTGBooks.com, 2014
Stefan Bogdanov, “Bee product science, Pollen: Production, Nutrition and Health” and “Propolis: Composition, Health, Medicine”, february 2014
“Drunk man” picture credit Kamira via Big Stock Photo
“Beemovie” picture credit cartoonwallpapershd.com
