Indian scientist creates 'liver friendly' booze

While most of us turn to the tipple occasionally to celebrate or drown our sorrows, it is not secret that alcohol is not good for the health, especially for the liver.

Indian researcher Harsha Chigurupati developed a compound purported to help protect against liver and DNA damage caused by consuming alcohol - called NTX - 'no-tox.'

In a study founded by Chigurupati, biomarkers that indicate liver damage were 93 percent lower for people who drank NTX-infused vodka as compared to those who consumed the regular variety. Later studies showed that NTX-infused vodka reduced DNA damage caused by drinking regular alcohol.

While Chigurupati is currently battling with regulators to acknowledge the compound's health claims, New Jersey based spirits brand Bellion already sells NTX infused vodka in bars and restaurants in 11 states, with plans for a broader roll-out in 2018.

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, NTX contains three basic ingredients, potassium sorbate, a food preservative and anti-oxidant, glycyrrhizin, an anti-inflammatory derived from the licorice root, and mannitol, a diuretic that causes the body to lose water.

While human trials for NTX began in 2013, the agency that regulates such claims in the US, the Alcohol and Tobacco ax and Trade Bureau (TTB), denied Chigurupati's petition, despite him coming prepared with his own research and more than 100 independent articles and studies by researchers showing that the key ingredients in NTX mitigate liver damage and oxidative stress.

TTB's rejection was based on its concern that Americans might confused NTX with Naltrexone, which can be used to treat alcohol dependence.

While Chigurupati contested the decisions and despite conducting more researcher with other researchers to prepare a new petition for eight health claims, the TTB rejected Chigurupati again in May on the basis that 'the proposed labeling and advertising statements create a misleading impression.