A New Probiotic for When You Drink
Using the power of genetic engineering, ZBiotics® Pre-Alcohol Probiotic Drink makes miserable mornings after drinking a thing of the past.
Meet Our Lead Scientists
"The world needs more companies that are dedicated to building new products with biotechnology"
University of Michigan
I started ZBiotics because I strongly believe we can use modern biotechnology to make incredible products that have real and unprecedented benefits for people, products that couldn't exist before this technology was available. The world needs more companies that are dedicated to building new products with biotechnology in a way that aligns with people's values and are safe, responsible, and transparent.
"ZBiotics developed and uses industry leading design principles for safe, sustainable genetically engineered microbes"
University of California, Davis
Wyss Institute, Harvard Medical School
ZBiotics developed and uses industry leading design principles for safe, sustainable genetically engineered microbes. We are dedicated to the responsible scaling of our technology in a way that benefits everyone. We see vast potential for the use of GMO probiotics to solve challenges for millions of people around the world. We feel a strong sense of responsibility to be the best possible stewards of this new technology.
You probably have some questions
We deal with some complex subject matter. Here are some common questions we get about who we are and what we do.
The earlier the better. Ideally you drink Pre-Alcohol before your first drink.
The probiotic in Pre-Alcohol needs time to “wake up” in your gut, so we say the earlier the better if you can remember it. We drink Pre-Alcohol just before going out – right before our first drink. But it should be active if you drink it any time during the day or night. So whether it’s a few hours before drinking or you’ve already enjoyed a round or two, go for it. Pre-Alcohol can help from that point on.
No.
Pre-Alcohol will not affect your level of intoxication. Pre-Alcohol does not decrease your blood alcohol level, nor does it make alcohol any safer.
All the same rules about alcohol safety apply. Don’t get behind the wheel, don't operate heavy machinery, and don't drink too much. Alcohol is still dangerous on its own (citation).
Interestingly, there is really good science that clearly debunks the persistent myth that alcohol causes dehydration, and that dehydration is responsible for how you feel the next day. Alcohol does not significantly dehydrate you, and there are many academic studies confirming this over the past several decades (citation). We did a write-up about alcohol and dehydration (with citations) we recommend reading.
In general though, you can do a simple thought experiment to prove to yourself that any rough feelings you have the day after drinking have nothing to do with dehydration: 1. If how you felt the next day really was due to dehydration, then a glass or two of water the next day would make you feel 100% again, which we all know from experience is not at all the case! 2. Things that DO cause dehydration (e.g. eating salty foods, working out) don't make you feel ANYTHING like the way we feel the day after drinking alcohol!
Instead, there are quite a few other things going on in your body when you drink. Here's a great review of the scientific literature on the subject. Acetaldehyde is a key factor, and one requiring an enzymatic approach to deal with. This is why we built ZBiotics Pre-Alcohol: a probiotic engineered to produce the same type of enzyme as your liver to break down acetaldehyde.
There are hundreds of papers demonstrating the unwanted effects of acetaldehyde. Here is one that shows a direct comparison of acetaldehyde to ethanol. Here is another on the impact of acetaldehyde on DNA. And here is a summary of studies published by the EU regarding the safety (or lack thereof) of acetaldehyde.
How will Pre-Alcohol make me feel?
Pre-Alcohol is designed to break down acetaldehyde, which is responsible for some of the worst feelings you get when you drink.* It is not designed to break down alcohol, which causes some of the more minor effects. In particular, alcohol itself affects the quality of your sleep, but you can usually take care of that with some breakfast and coffee. If you’re interested, here are 7 of our tips to feel better the day after drinking alcohol.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
The probiotic in Pre-Alcohol is likely to stay in your body for 18-24 hours after you drink it. So one bottle will cover you for a whole day, even if you're starting with brunch mimosas followed by evening plans later on!
Yes. Pre-Alcohol is fully FDA-compliant for safety and adheres to all regulatory requirements for sale in the U.S.
Note that FDA compliance is not FDA approval. FDA approval is a process reserved for drug products. Pre-Alcohol is a food/beverage product and has not been approved as efficacious for any purpose by the FDA.
FDA-compliant for safety means that we’ve satisfied all regulatory requirements to ensure Pre-Alcohol is safe and can be legally sold in the United States. That means that all our manufacturing is conducted in an FDA-registered food-grade facility according to Good Manufacturing Practices compliant with 21 CFR 117. It also means that our novel ingredient – Bacillus subtilis ZB183™ – has been extensively tested and is generally recognized, among qualified experts, as having been adequately shown to be safe under the conditions of its intended use.
Featured in
“With Pre-Alcohol, I'm no longer playing Russian roulette with my productivity the next day. Life is too short to spend a whole day recovering.”
– Sophina T.
“Pre-Alcohol has been such a huge help for me in reducing my anxiety around having a drink or two with friends during the week! What used to cause a very inevitable and very obvious drop in my productivity and creativity the next day is now an enjoyable, stress-free night with friends.”
– Kofi O.
“One of the most practical and necessary synbio innovations yet - and yes, it actually works. My husband and I don’t drink without it.”
– Abigail Y.
How It Works
Your liver is great at digesting acetaldehyde — the main culprit in those rough mornings after drinking. But unfortunately, most acetaldehyde accumulates in your gut, creating problems the next day.
So we used biotechnology to build a solution: a genetically engineered probiotic that produces the same type of enzyme as your liver. Simply put, it replicates your liver’s natural process where it matters most: your gut.