Those battling a weekend hangover may be dreaming of a greasy fry-up to shake off their sore head, nausea and tiredness.

But those suffering from the after-effects of alcohol should instead consider a meal of gut-friendly fermented foods, experts say.

Options such as kimchi, kombucha and kefir boost gut and liver health, which is vital for the body to better flush alcohol from the system and therefore reduce the length of a hangover, says London-based registered dietitian Lucy Kerrison. 

Fermented foods, which are made by adding microorganisms such as bacteria or yeast to products including vegetables, tea or milk, can also tackle dehydration, which is behind many hangover symptoms, according to Ms Kerrison.

However, other nutrition experts warn that eating the foods when hungover will have ‘little or no effect’ on how the body deals with alcohol. 

Ms Kerrison told MailOnline: ‘We know the liver is responsible for alcohol metabolism, so looking after your gut health and liver can have a positive impact on alcohol metabolism.’

She said: ‘The faster alcohol is metabolised and removed from your system, the shorter your hangover.

‘Maintaining good gut health can strengthen your intestinal barrier function, so it is less affected by alcohol, a known gut irritant which can affect intestinal motility, permeability and absorption of nutrients.’

She added: ‘If you are suffering from a hangover, it is often foods high in salt and carbohydrates which you crave. 

‘Alcohol is dehydrating and salt results in water retention, so adding a little salt to your diet is not a bad thing during a hangover. 

‘Fermented foods which are higher in salt, such as kimchi and sauerkraut, can be helpful. 

‘They also contain live bacteria which can have a positive impact on our gut microbiome, something which can be damaged with excess alcohol consumption.’

While civilisations have been fermenting food for thousands of yeas for its preserving effects, it has recently gained popularity due to its reported health-boosting effects. 

These include kimchi, a Korean dish made from salted and fermented vegetables, such as cabbage and radish; kombucha, a fizzy, fermented drink made from sweetened tea; and sauerkraut, which is essentially fermented cabbage.

These fermented foods contain probiotics — foods with living microbes that travel to the gut boost health — which may be another reason that they can curb the effect of alcohol. 

Studies in animals have found that consuming probiotics before drinking causes the body to absorb less alcohol.

Another component found in some fermented foods may also explain why dieticians believe they can ease hangovers. 

Alcohol can harm the gut because it disturbs short chain fatty acids, which maintain gut health by reducing inflammation and regulating immune function. 

The body converts alcohol into acetaldehyde and then to acetate, which then disturbs the ratio of short chain fatty acids and contributes to hangover symptoms, experts say.

But butyrate — a short chain fatty acid found in some kombuchas — can help rebalance the ratio. 

Dr Duane Mellor, a registered dietitian and senior lecturer at Aston University in Birmingham, said butyrate can deliver more good bacteria to the colon.

However, loading up on fermented products before drinking will not help prevent a hangover, he warns. 

Dr Mellor said: ‘Most of the alcohol will be absorbed in the upper gut, so unless you drink excessively very little will get to the colon where most of the bacteria are.’

And eating them when hungover will have ‘little or no effect on how your body deals with alcohol’. 

‘The best way to avoid a hangover is not to drink to excess,’ he added.

However, he noted their benefits for general health.  

Tai Ibitoye, a registered dietitian based in London noted that, although good for you, fermented foods are by no means a ‘magic solution’ when it comes to drinking too much alcohol. 

She said: ‘Probiotic foods and fermented foods may help diversify gut microbiome and help with imbalance.

‘Some studies have shown that it may help with liver enzyme reduction in alcohol-induced liver injury. 

‘However, the evidence is based on small sized studies and focus on chronic alcohol use, and therefore further research is needed.’

A drug hailed as the ‘King Kong’ of weight loss jabs is being given to diabetics on the NHS.

Around 180,000 people with type 2 diabetes are set to be given tirzepatide to help control their condition.

Taken as a once-weekly jab, it was given the green light for patients who cannot tolerate metformin – the first-line medicine for type 2 diabetes – once stocks become available.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) today recommended it as a diabetic medication, to be prescribed alongside diet and exercise.

It could be available as early as October, dependent on supply by the US pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly.

A decision on its use for weight loss is expected within months.

The once weekly jab is a class of drugs called GLP-1 agonists, which mimic a hormone that helps suppress the appetite, reducing food intake.

Trials also found it boosts the production of insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar, essential to control type 2 diabetes.

After just a year, a third of type 2 diabetics taking the drug lost more than 20 per cent of their body weight, significantly more than rivals.

It led US diabetes expert Dr Julio Rosenstock to declare it ‘King Kong’ compared to ‘the gorilla’ of semaglutide, the key ingredient in Wegoby and Ozempic.

Nice’s approval comes after it requested more evidence on the drug’s effectiveness in treating type 2 diabetes.

Its latest guidance said clinical trials showed using tirzepatide ‘resulted in significant reductions in blood sugar levels and body weight compared with semaglutide, insulin therapy or a placebo’.

The independent committee said almost two in three people with type 2 diabetes do not have it under control, putting them at risk of serious complications.

Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation at Nice, said: ‘There are very few new medicines being developed to treat difficult-to-manage type 2 diabetes.

‘Our committee recognised the potential tirzepatide has to provide an effective and good value treatment option for all those living with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes.’

‘Poorly controlled type 2 diabetes, with its associated additional health risks, is a huge challenge for those living with the condition and the NHS.

‘This recommendation will offer fresh hope for many and provide value for money for the taxpayer.’

Nice is expected to publish its final draft guidance on October 11 with the drug made available within 90 days.

It comes the same week semaglutide, sold under the brand name Wegovy, was finally made available in the UK as a weight loss treatment.

About 50,000 people are expected to benefit on the NHS and more through private prescriptions amid a global shortage of the drug.

Its popularity as a weight loss aid had seen stocks of the diabetic medication Ozempic, which contains the same key ingredient, run low and the NHS issue a notice to stop it being prescribed ‘off label’.

David Webb, chief pharmaceutical officer at NHS England, said the latest announcement is ‘great news at a time when there is disruption to the supply of key drugs used for treating people with diabetes’.

He said: ‘This will provide a much-needed addition to other available treatments, and can be prescribed alongside diet and exercise, to greatly improve the lives of those living with this difficult disease and give more people the chance of a healthier future.’

At least a third of dementia patients would not benefit from breakthrough drugs as they are never officially diagnosed with the disease, a report warns.

NHS figures show just 64 per cent of people in England with dementia have a formal diagnosis, lagging behind the government’s target of 67 per cent.

The lack of diagnosis means thousands of people would never be in contention for drugs like lecanemab and donanemab, hailed as ‘momentous’ in the fight to treat the disease.

Alzheimer’s Research UK said proven diagnosis techniques, such as lumbar punctures, were scarcely used with just 2 per cent of people suspected of having the disease given one.

Its Tipping Point: The Future of Dementia report is calling for numbers to be increased from 2,000 to 20,000 per year.

This would need an investment of £16m to fund the diagnostic infrastructure, equipment, and workforce training, including 50 new band 6/7 nurses across the UK.

This should be followed by sustained annual investment of £10m until new diagnostic tools, like blood tests, are ready to replace lumbar punctures, it states.

Samantha Benham-Hermetz, of Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: ‘For people living with dementia to receive proper treatment – including the new drugs currently being looked at by regulators – they need to receive a formal diagnosis.

‘But in England, we know that more than a third of over-65s living with dementia never get a diagnosis at all. This is completely unacceptable, as is the underlying diagnosis target of 67 per cent.

‘We wouldn’t accept this for any other condition, so we shouldn’t for dementia. In other UK nations, this information isn’t even available, as data on dementia diagnosis rates aren’t routinely published.’

It warned limited availability of diagnostic tests and the reluctance of some doctors to even offer people a diagnosis at all, has resulted in a postcode lottery.

Just 53 per cent of people living with dementia in Herefordshire and Worcestershire will be diagnosed, compared to 73 per cent in South Yorkshire, it found.

It comes as a second report predicts there will be a further 1.5 million cases of dementia in the UK by 2050.

Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) said more than 636,000 of these cases would be preventable of people and governments took more action.

The charity said cutting down on alcohol consumption, stopping smoking, doing more exercise and keeping frequent social contact could all lower a person’s risk of Alzheimer’s.

Dementia remains the biggest killer in the UK and is on track to be the nation’s most expensive health condition by 2030.

If nothing changes, one in two people will be directly affected by the disease, either caring for someone with the condition, developing it themselves, or both.

Officials need to take more action to address known risk factors, such as obesity, air pollution and restricted access to early education, it said.

Paola Barbarino, chief executive of ADI, said: ‘This is a critical step, in the absence of treatment or a cure, to prevent as many cases as possible.

‘We must ensure populations are aware of dementia risk-reduction strategies, at all ages, and have access to necessary information, advice, and support services.’

AFL star Jamie Cripps and his model wife Liv welcome miracle baby – following devastating cancer diagnosis

By Caleb Taylor For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 09:21 EDT, 17 August 2023 | Updated: 09:21 EDT, 17 August 2023

Granddad Greg Hoar is still driving around in the beloved family Morris Minor he passed his driving test in – in 1976.

Greg’s grandmother was 78 years-old when she bought the classic British two-door car brand new in 1967 for £628 – £10,000 in today’s money.

Amy Hoar drove it for almost a decade until her eyesight declined and it was lent to her then 17-year-old grandson.

Greg, now 64, has kept hold of the vehicle for 47 years, clocking up almost 200,000 miles on road trips all over Britain.

His wife of 41 years Nicky and two children, Emily and Peter, also learnt to drive in it.

Emily was taken home from hospital as a baby in it in 1986 and Greg’s 14-year-old grandson Joseph is already ‘eyeing it up’ for when he is old enough to drive.

The ‘dove grey’ coloured Morris, affectionately known as Moggie, has been carefully maintained by Greg and had a major restoration in 2017.

It was ‘stripped back’ and rebuilt while retaining its original shell, steering wheel and other parts.

Greg, a heritage consultant from Corfe Mullen, near Poole, Dorset, and Nicky still regularly drive the Morris.

He said it ‘puts smiles on peoples’ faces’ and he is often approached by members of the public who reminisce about owning one.

Greg said: ‘My grandmother Amy Hoar was 78 years-old when she bought the Minor in 1967 and she drove it until her eyesight went.

‘I was turning 17 so she let me learn to drive in it then I borrowed it indefinitely.

‘The car has so many memories as my fiancée, now wife Nicky learnt to drive in it in 1981 and our daughter Emily was taken home in it from Poole Hospital as a baby in 1986.

‘Emily and our son Peter both learnt to drive in it and our 14 year-old grandson Joseph has already got his eyes on it.

‘It must be quite unusual to find someone who is still driving the car they did their driving test in so many years ago.’

Over 1.6million Minors were produced by Morris Motors between 1948 and 1971, becoming a favourite of British households.

They were described as being ‘as English as roast beef and Yorkshire pudding and as reliable as rain at a test match’.

But sales declined in the late 60s as the Mini became a staple of popular culture driven by celebrities and pop stars.

Last year, Morris Minor owners were invited to drive their vehicles at the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant.

This year, a string of events are being held by Morris Minor enthusiasts to mark its 75th birthday.

Greg plans to keep hold of his Minor for as long as it keeps running.

He said: ‘In the early years it was easy to source Minor spare parts from scrapyards, and there is a Morris Minor community today.

‘I’ve restored it every 10 years, with the latest one being in 2017, but it still has a lot of original parts including its core frame.

‘It is approaching 200,000 miles on the clock and my wife and I still drive it around on a weekly basis.

‘Whenever you are out and about in it puts smiles on people’s faces and we get approached in car parks by people saying they owned one or their family did.

‘The Minor is a part of British heritage and we will keep it running as long as it goes.’

A baby boy who was born at just 22 weeks and faced a lifetime of disability has defied the odds and started to walk and talk.

Eli James, now a year old, weighed just 1lb 3oz when he was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, in March last year. He was so small his mother’s wedding a ring could fit on his wrist.

Paloma Aguilar, 34, and her husband Eliesar, 45, were told that if their son survived, he would likely face permanent physical and mental disabilities. But after being discharged from the ICU in late July, he has gone from strength to strength.

Mrs Aguilar said: ‘He’s starting to walk right now and saying his first words – Dadda was the first. Everyone has been surprised with his progress.’

She added that her son was a little smaller than other one-year-olds but was catching up ‘quite fast’. 

Babies born earlier than 22 weeks are generally too physically underdeveloped to be successfully treated with intensive care and have almost no chance of survival. 

But each year in the US about 5,000 babies are born in the uncertain window between 22 and 23 weeks, when chances of survival are very low but not zero.

Studies indicate that between a fifth and third of babies born at 22 weeks and given intensive care survive. 

Eli – the youngest of four children – was born at 22 weeks and one day.

Mrs Aguilar said her pregnancy had been going to plan until her waters suddenly broke one day after a scan.

She said: ‘We had an ultrasound one Friday when I was 22 weeks, and everything appeared normal.

‘Then my water broke that Friday evening, at midnight, and early Saturday morning, I went to the hospital.

‘When I arrived, they told me that I was three centimeters dilated and that the baby was not viable.’

Doctors tried to help Mrs Aguilar to delay the birth, but warned that an infection was putting both mother and baby at risk.

She was diagnosed with chorioamnionitis, a bacterial infection of the fetal membranes surrounding the baby and in the placenta. It can also spread into the amniotic fluid, or the liquid that surrounds and protects the fetus.

Mrs Aguilar tried to delay the birth, but three days after her waters broke, she gave birth to her son.

Speaking about the birth, Mrs Aguilar said: ‘It was actually quite painful even though he was small, because it happened so fast.

‘So I didn’t have anything to help me with the pain. He just came out on the bed when the nurse was barely coming in to see me.

‘They showed him to me briefly before taking him away.’

After the birth, Ms Aguilar, her husband and Eli faced an incredibly difficult time as the infant fought for his life.

She explained: ‘When I saw him, it was scary.

‘But I always have faith. I had faith that if he made it this far, that he was strong.

‘Even getting a PICC line [used to administer medication and nutrition] in him was scary. 

‘The doctor told me that they had brought in the smallest needle in the country, which was as thin as a piece of hair, and even that was too big to fit through his veins.’

Ms Aguilar said that Eli’s incredible fight for his life lasted several months, and while he was ‘mostly stable’, one evening, medics once again feared for his life.

‘There was one point where he like got really sick, and they called us at three in the morning to the hospital because he wasn’t doing well,’ she revealed.

‘There was always ups and downs, but for the most part, he was he was stable.’

Viral video shows Wally Lewis losing his mind as Maroons seal their miracle Origin win – with the Queensland legend celebrating so hard he slammed his head into the ceiling

• Wally Lewis was clearly elated at Maroons’ Origin win
• Footage showed the ‘King’ literally hitting the roof
• Regarded as Queensland’s best ever player in the arena

By Andrew Prentice For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 02:04 EDT, 2 June 2023 | Updated: 02:04 EDT, 2 June 2023

The miracle of Missouri may be explained not by divine intervention but rather by the conditions in which the body was buried, an anthropologist has said.

Thousands have flocked to a church in the small town of Gower, Missouri, to see and touch the body of Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster, claiming the lack of decomposition after four years in the ground is a sign of her ‘incorruptibility’ or holiness.

What added to the mystery was the fact that the nun had not been embalmed, when a preservative fluid is put into the body’s arteries to slow decomposition.

But a forensic anthropologist who has studied more than a hundred decomposing bodies said it is actually ‘very common’ for bodies to look like the nun’s just a few years after being buried. 

Dr Rebecca George told DailyMail.com that a lack of moisture and oxygen in the coffin combined with clay soil keeping the temperature low would have started mummifying the body rather than breaking it down.

Speaking to this website, the Western Carolina University professor said: ‘Typically, when a… body is put in a coffin with clothing, just like what we see in the photos from the nun, you are cutting off a lot of the oxygen.

‘She was buried in clay-like soil too, which keeps the temperature down. This doesn’t stop decomposition, but it slows it, and that is what we are seeing here.’

She added: ‘The wooden coffin, that would have drawn moisture from the body — absolutely.’

When someone dies, the bacteria and fungi living on the skin and in the intestines start to break down the tissues.

But this process can be slowed to a crawl by a lack of moisture, oxygen or a low temperature — which are all needed to drive respiration and reactions to break down dead cells in the body.

This often happens to bodies when they are buried and cut off from these environmental conditions.

This may only shift when a crack appears in the coffin, possibly caused by decomposition from the outside, which would allow moisture and oxygen back in.

Dr George likened the condition of the nun’s body to an early stage of mummification.

‘This is pretty common, especially in the conditions that this person is buried in,’ she said.

‘We don’t typically exhume bodies once they are buried, so we are getting a glimpse of this process now. But yes, this is very common.’

After death, someone will typically go through an autopsy to help to determine the cause of death.

The body will then be stored in a cool and dry place before being buried about four feet underground in a coffin or cremated.

Bodies go through five stages of decomposition. After initial discoloration and rigor mortis sets in, the second stage sees the body bloat as bacteria start to break down the inside’s causing gases to accumulate.

But if there is low moisture, cool temperatures and a lack of oxygen, then this second stage will be slowed because bacteria struggle to grow.

Sister Wilhelmina’s body was exhumed by the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, in Gower, Missouri, to make way for building work. 

The nuns had been preparing to add a St. Joseph shrine, dedicated to the acclaimed foster father of Jesus.

Before the exhumation, they had been told to expect only bones because the 95-year-old nun’s body was not embalmed and was buried in a wooden coffin.

But they were shocked to find that her body was still almost completely intact.

The discovery was circulated among other nuns and then posted online, which led to a flurry of thousands of visitors to the church.

Catholics believe that if a body does not decompose after death then a person is ‘incorruptible’, where divine intervention occurs to stop the normal process of decomposition. This is seen as a sign of holiness or a special blessing from God.

The nuns are now planning to place the nun’s body in a glass shrine to allow visitors to see her.

They will also be able to take soil from the graveside, although this is currently limited to a teaspoon each.

Questions have also been raised about whether Sister Wilhelmina is a saint, but the local diocese says she cannot be considered for this until five years after her death.

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, in April 1924, she was the second of five children to Oscar and Ella Lancaster.

She decided to go into God’s service when she was just nine years old and received her first Communion.

‘He seemed to be such a handsome and wonderful man, I agreed immediately,’ she wrote.

‘Then he told me to meet him every Sunday at Holy Communion. I said nothing about this conversation to anyone, believing that everyone that went to Holy Communion heard Our Lord talk to them.’

She joined the Oblate Sisters of Providence in 1941, and three years later was accepted as a nun and given the name ‘Wilhelmina’.

She worked as a school teacher and archivist, and assisted in the Mount Providence Center of Music and General Culture during her 50 years with the Oblate Sisters.

But in 1995 she left and founded the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, which follows the rule of St. Benedict.

Lancaster died on May 29, 2019, and was buried by hand on the ground of the convent.