Alcohol

A study has reported results from the first ever placebo-controlled trial testing psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for alcohol use disorder, but the findings inadvertently raise major questions about the veracity of clinical trials for psychedelic drugs.

A comprehensive new Oxford study has added to the growing body of research highlighting the health effects of alcohol. The large-scale genetic analysis suggests that alcohol consumption directly accelerates aging, by shortening telomeres.

A study has found some compelling associations between gut bacteria and alcohol consumption. Not only is heavy drinking linked to a distinct microbiome profile but the study suggests certain bacteria may be responsible for increased alcohol consumption.

A striking study looking at over 20,000 people has found as little as four alcoholic drinks a week can be linked to brain changes associated with cognitive decline. The research is the first to correlate brain iron levels with moderate alcohol consumption.

A new Swedish "pre-drinking pill" went on sale in the UK today. Widely referred to as the "hangover pill," the optimistically-named Myrkl is claimed to break down alcohol before it reaches the liver, preventing the formation of toxic acetaldehyde.

A small pilot study suggests that moderate consumption of lager beer may influence the diversity of our gut bacteria in a positive way, whether it's a traditional brew or one of the increasingly popular non-alcoholic variety.

Scientists at Scripps Research have pinpointed a brain protein they suggest plays an important role in the anxiety experienced during alcohol withdrawal, and could be targeted for future treatments to prevent relapse.

An intriguing new study has zeroed in on a brain region that is central to the development of both alcohol abuse and anxiety in adults, and demonstrated how gene editing could be used to wipe clean a person's predisposition to both disorders.

New analysis of urine samples from so-called "drunken monkeys" offers first-of-a-kind evidence that wild primates actually seek out fermented fruit and metabolize the ethanol within it, lured by its higher concentration of calories.

Drinking four units of alcohol a day – two beers, or two glasses of wine – causes structural damage and brain volume loss equivalent to 10 years of aging, reports a large UPenn study analyzing more than 36,000 high-quality MRI brain scans.

While non-alcoholic beer has some obvious advantages over its traditional counterpart, many people say that it just doesn't taste as good. Danish scientists now claim to have overcome that problem, using genetically engineered baker's yeast.

Researchers have uncovered the role of a liver hormone in alcohol addiction. Monkeys with a strong alcohol preference drank far less after they were given a synthetic version of the hormone, opening new potential treatments for alcohol addiction.