Effect of Glutathione on Blood Alcohol and Hangover Symptoms
Condition: Alcohol Drinking
MeSH terms: Alcohol Drinking
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Glutathione (a tripeptide of 3 amino acids - glutamic acid, cysteine and glycine) plays a
      great role in homeostasis, especially as a potent anti-oxidant.

      As an anti-oxidant, it conjugates with xenobiotics using glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and
      excretes in urine as mercapturic acid.

      In 1986, Casciani et al at the University of Milan, studied the effect of glutathione on
      blood alcohol, acetaldehyde and hepatic triglyceride levels and found a significant reducing
      effect.

      The blood acetaldehyde, which is the metabolic product of ethyl alcohol may have a
      correlation with hangover symptoms. This study is designed to find this correlation using
      blood alcohol, blood acetaldehyde levels and the Hangover Symptoms Scale according to the
      Slutske et al study.
    

Detailed description: 
      Type of Study: Double-blinded control

      Population: 100 males

      Inclusion Criteria:

        -  Males 20-40 years

        -  Healthy, without chronic diseases, especially must have normal hepatic function,
           measured by serum SGPT

        -  No history of alcoholic allergy

        -  Drink alcohol regularly, at least once a week

        -  Agree to be a subject by standard consent form

      Exclusion Criteria:

        -  Subject wants to end the study

        -  Some impending danger to subjects

      Number of subjects : 100

      Methodology

        1. Subjects are recruited;

        2. History taking, physical examination and SGPT are done by M.D.;

        3. 100 subjects are distributed randomly to numbers 1-100;

        4. Factory provides 2 groups of capsules in randomized packets numbered 1 -100; each
           package contains 3 sub-packages; each sub-package contains 2 capsules of either placebo
           or 370 mg glutathione capsules. All the three sub-packages will be all placebo or all
           glutathione. 50 packages are placebo and 50 packages are glutathione;

        5. Subjects are examined as follows:

             -  Hour 0: 3 ml of blood taken for blood alcohol and blood acetaldehyde;

             -  Hour 0- 1: consume Thai Whisky (40% alcohol) 60 ml with snacks;

             -  Hour 1: ml of blood taken for blood alcohol and blood acetaldehyde;

             -  Hour 1.30: ml of blood taken for blood alcohol and blood acetaldehyde;

             -  Hour 2.30: ml of blood taken for blood alcohol and blood acetaldehyde;

             -  Hour 3.30: ml of blood taken for blood alcohol and blood acetaldehyde;

             -  Hour 12: ml of blood taken for blood alcohol and blood acetaldehyde, and Alcohol
                Hangover Symptom evaluation of each subject is done individually.

      Using Wendy S. Slutske et al Scale 0-4:

      0= no symptom

        1. minimal

        2. some

        3. much

        4. most

      Symptoms are

        1. extreme thirst or dehydration

        2. more tired than usual

        3. headache

        4. nausea

        5. vomiting

        6. very weak

        7. difficulty concentrating

        8. more sensitive to light and sound than usual

        9. more sweating than usual

       10. have a lot of trouble sleeping

       11. anxious

       12. depressed

       13. trembling or shaking

      Blood alcohol, blood acetaldehyde and hangover symptoms are statistically evaluated for
      significance.
    

Intervention name(s): Glutathione
Intervention type(s): Drug
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: hangover; hangover symptoms