We ladies love our wine. Wine just gets us. But while I consider wine to be a gift from the heavens, one thing I do not enjoy is a wine hangover. You know, that “I refuse to put on pants or do anything other than lie on the couch watching Netflix” feeling that occurs when you overindulge on alcoholic grape juice? Yeah, it’s the worst. But now, thanks to some researchers at the University of Illinois, we may not have to choose between knocking back a bottle of Pinot tonight and being functional tomorrow.
New research published in “Applied and Environmental Microbiology” contains a bunch of science-y words that I don’t understand, such as “genome knife,” “precise metabolic engineering,” and “saccharomyces cerevisia.” But the bottom line, according to Vice, is that whatever those words mean, these scientists have developed a bioengineered yeast enzyme that can be used in fermented beverages – aka, beer and wine. Not only does this magic yeast eliminate the nasty effects of a wine hangover, it also has the ability to increase the amount of the antioxidant resveratrol in various beverages. Why is that good? Well, resveratrol is responsible for all of the “healthy” aspects of wine, such as lowering the chances of cancer and heart disease, clearing up your skin, and boosting your memory. Basically, you get to drink wine, be healthy, and not get hungover. God bless those science-y words.
But it doesn’t stop there. Yong-Su Jin, an associate professor at University of Illinois, also says that the enzyme can be used in other products, such as cheese. Which means that pretty soon a meal of wine and queso will be considered healthy. I’m starting a campaign to nominate these scientists for a Nobel Prize, stat. Cheers to wine, for always loving us, accepting us, and bettering itself for us. You’re the real MVP..
[via Vice]