Ethanol Metabolism and Its Impact on Health The Medical Biochemistry Page Novel physiological roles for glutathione in sequestering acetaldehyde to confer acetaldehyde tolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology Springer Nature Link Glutathione: Master Antioxidant, Reducing Oxidative Stress, and Detoxification Your liver needs time to turn ethanol into acetate. If you drink too fast, that "hangover chemical" (acetaldehyde) piles up and ruins the fun. Drink slow and give your enzymes a break.