ZBiotics Review: Does a Pre-Alcohol Probiotic Work for Hangover Prevention?

It’s no secret that drinking too much alcohol can cause hangovers—but this is especially true as we get older when just a couple of drinks can seriously affect how we feel the next day.

Even if you don’t experience the traditional hangover symptoms (aren’t you lucky?), many people don’t realize that their poor sleep, brain fog, and laziness can be a result of last night’s wine.

Other than not drinking altogether (which is a wholly admirable and healthy choice), some products on the market claim to prevent hangovers—but they don’t usually work.

This is because random combinations of B vitamins and botanical extracts don’t act on alcohol metabolism itself, which is what ZBiotics Pre-Alcohol Probiotic does. 

Using years of research to formulate their innovative product, ZBiotics created a bioengineered probiotic bacteria to facilitate alcohol metabolism in the gut and reduce toxic compounds that cause hangovers—and, for most people, it works. In this review article, we’ll break down how ZBiotics got an A grade for its science-backed approach, innovation, and effectiveness.

ZBiotics Review Summary (Grade: A)

How Do ZBiotics Pre-Alcohol Probiotics Work?

When you hear terms like “bacterial bioengineering” and “homologous recombination,” you may think you’ll need a Ph.D. in microbiology to understand how ZBiotics works—but it’s actually simpler than it sounds. 

Our team spoke with the founder of ZBiotics, Dr. Zack Abbott, who broke down the science for us (and who does, in fact, have a Ph.D. in microbiology). 

Zack told us a bit about his scientific background and how he came to be so enamored with bacteria, reflecting, “I fell in love with how interesting bacteria were…I learned that the vast majority of bacteria that we engage with are either neutral or even beneficial in many cases. It’d be very difficult for any life on this planet to survive without bacteria. So that became a whole new perspective for me, and rather than protecting us from bad bacteria, were there ways that we could leverage the good bacteria to solve problems?” 

And so ZBiotics was formed. In its most basic terms, ZBiotics Pre-Alcohol is a type of healthy bacteria that has been genetically engineered to break down a toxic byproduct of alcohol that causes hangover symptoms. 

Essentially, ZBiotics uses safe and edible bacteria called Bacillus subtilis—the same bacteria used in kombucha and soybean natto fermentation—and directs them via bioengineering to do something specific.

In this case, Zack and his team wanted the probiotic bacteria to produce the enzyme ALDH (acetaldehyde dehydrogenase). We use ALDH to break down acetaldehyde—the super-toxic intermediary metabolite that is produced in the body when we consume alcohol. 

Acetaldehyde is a toxic byproduct of alcohol metabolism that’s thought to be a leading cause of hangover symptoms, ranging from fatigue to nausea to headaches—and it can build up in the gut when we’re drinking. 

Therefore, the probiotic in ZBiotics (Bacillus subtilis ZB183™) has been engineered to produce the same type of enzyme (ALDH) to metabolize acetaldehyde if you take it before drinking.

For a quick journey into their bioengineering process, ZBiotics leverages systems that bacteria already use to edit their own DNA—processes that have been used and honed over billions of years of bacterial evolution. 

As Zack puts it, they’re “using modern biotechnology to direct or advance bacteria to do something specific.”

Essentially, the bacteria are “engineered for a modern human to deal with modern problems.”

These processes are called natural competence and homologous recombination, in which bacteria take up DNA from their environment and incorporate it into their genomes. (Despite their lack of brains, it turns out bacteria are pretty smart.)

In this case, the ZBiotics team introduces DNA that contains instructions for making ALDH into a test tube with the B. subtilis bacteria. The bacteria do their thing, taking up the ALDH-making DNA and editing it into their genome. The end result? Probiotic bacteria that can break down acetaldehyde in the gut. 

When you drink ZBiotics Pre-Alcohol Probiotic before your first drink (key words: before your first drink), the bacteria can settle into your gut, ready to start gobbling up acetaldehyde and turning it into a harmless compound called acetate. The bacteria persist in the gut for up to 24 hours, so if you’ve got an entire Sunday Funday planned, you’re set. 

Pretty cool, right? But does it actually work? Let’s find out.

ZBiotics Product Overview

In this review, we’ll go over how we graded the ingredients in ZBiotics Pre-Alcohol, the science and clinical research behind it, its overall value, and, of course, its effectiveness and user experience.

Ingredients (A)

There are only a handful of ingredients in ZBiotics Pre-Alcohol:

• Bacillus subtilis ZB183™, the probiotic bacterial strain that they invented and bioengineered to break down acetaldehyde in the gut 
• Water 
• Natural flavors, providing a light citrus flavor 
• Sodium chloride (salt) 
• Potassium sorbate, which is a preservative that is needed to stabilize the product for room-temperature storage

We’ve already talked about the probiotic bacteria Bacillus subtilis, which is commonly found naturally on fruits and vegetables and is used in the fermentation process of making kombucha and natto, a fermented Japanese soybean product. 

The other ingredients are pretty tame, but we tend to question where “natural flavors” come from when they show up on a label. But, as the flavor of this product is pretty neutral and very lightly citrusy, the natural flavors are likely in small amounts and not much to worry about. 

Potassium sorbate is a preservative deemed “generally regarded as safe” (GRAS) by the FDA. While some studies have shown some negative effects of potassium sorbate in mice (including elevated inflammatory markers), the dose used was significantly higher than you’d see in this product (or any food product). Overall, potassium sorbate does not appear to have negative effects on human health. 

Science (A+)

There’s no doubt that ZBiotics gets an A+ for scientific rigor and clinical testing. If you’re a fellow science nerd, head over to their “How It Works” page for in-depth information about mechanisms and processes. 

ZBiotics also describes how they used laboratory testing to compare the edited bacterial strain to unedited B. subtilis, which confirmed that the bioengineered Pre-Alcohol Probiotic was highly effective at producing ALDH. 

The research also verified that the Pre-Alcohol Probiotic broke down acetaldehyde effectively—at even higher amounts than someone could reasonably encounter when drinking alcohol. By the way, if the words “genetic engineering” scare you a bit, there’s no need to worry (when it comes to ZBiotics, at least). ZBiotics is committed to safe and responsible bioengineering, including using methods to reduce the risk of ​​introducing unforeseen variables into the world and using genetic modifications that are likely to have already occurred in nature. They also participated in a study on safe and ethical genetic engineering through biocontainment strategies.

Effectiveness and Experience (A-)

We’ve already talked about the theory behind how ZBiotics Pre-Alcohol works—but does it actually work?

To test this product, two of my friends and I (of varying alcohol tolerances) took ZBiotics Pre-Alcohol before a night out. 

Two out of the three of us said that ZBiotics definitely minimized the hangover but did not entirely eliminate it. The third—who drank much more than the other two—reported that they still had quite a monster of a hangover (although, who knows, it could have been worse?). 

Based on this small sample size, it seems that this pre-alcohol supplement works best for moderate drinking. 

Another reason why it may work better for some than others is that other factors causing hangovers may be at play, in addition to acetaldehyde accumulation in the gut. 

For example, ethanol irritating the stomach lining can cause nausea and indigestion the next day, while severe dehydration can contribute to those throbbing headaches. 

ZBiotics is the first to say that it doesn’t work for everyone. As they put it, “While many people have an excellent experience with the product, we know that there’s a possibility the technology behind ZBiotics won’t work for everyone. Our research shows that about 5% of people don’t see a benefit, in large part due to individual differences in biology.” 

For example, people who have genetic variants that make it difficult for them to break down acetaldehyde in the liver (not the gut, which is what ZBiotics addresses) may not see benefits from this product. Similarly, people with unknown differences in their gut microbiomes may also have issues using the probiotic effectively. 

As with all things in nutrition, nothing is black and white. Even the healthiest foods don’t agree with every person, so supplements such as this should certainly be no different. 

Overall, ZBiotics worked effectively for moderate drinking (maybe a few drinks above the “moderate drinking” guidelines), but heavy binge drinking is still probably going to cause you some next-day discomfort.

Value (B)

There’s no getting around the fact that ZBiotics Pre-Alcohol is pricey. If you bulk buy or subscribe, you get a significant discount, but overall, they are not inexpensive. 

The price breakdown is as follows:

• 3-pack: $36 ($12/serving)
• 6-pack: $60 ($10/serving)
• 12-pack: $108 ($9/serving)

If you subscribe, you’ll get 20% off the 6- or 12-packs. (Subscription does not seem to be available for the 3-pack.) 

However, shipping is free, and there is a 100% money-back guarantee if it doesn’t work for you, which is always appreciated. 

At the cost of a cocktail, the value of ZBiotics Pre-Alcohol Probiotic could definitely be worth it for the people it works for (perhaps do a 3-pack to try it out for yourself first).

Brand Value (A+)

In factors like innovation, sustainability, transparency, and philanthropy, ZBiotics gets an A+.

Innovation alone would be enough to carry them here—when you create an entirely new biotechnology product like this, it’s safe to say you’ve got an innovative product and brand. 

ZBiotics also uses sustainable packaging, including glass bottles and cardboard packaging for the supplement, and has a page for their philanthropic and charitable giving programs. These include donating to ​​the Association for Women in Science (AWIS), GRID Alternatives, and the Farmlink Project, as well as volunteering with Feed My Starving Children and the SF-Marin Food Bank.

As this is a completely new biotechnology in the probiotic space—not just for hangover prevention, but for any purpose—we were thoroughly impressed with the level of care, detail, and research behind the product and are excited to see what they come up with next.

Key Takeaways: Is ZBiotics Worth It?

ZBiotics certainly has the science to back up the hangover prevention claims—but it probably won’t entirely work if you are irresponsibly drinking or binge drinking.

Overall, ZBiotics seems to be effective for consuming alcohol in amounts that are moderate or slightly above moderate for you. Let’s be real—if you’re at double digits of drinks in one night, nothing is going to save you the next day. 

But for drinking responsibly—as we all should be doing!—and in moderate amounts, ZBiotics can help minimize a hangover induced by excess acetaldehyde exposure (which causes the majority of symptoms).

The only category keeping this from an A+ is the price—but if you’ve got the cash to spend, we’d consider ZBiotics a “worth-it” pre-alcohol supplement that is clinically backed and highly innovative. 

To see this interview with Dr. Abbott and learn more about ways you can drink more responsibly, follow us on YouTube and stay tuned for our upcoming videos!