A single slimline G&T could push you over the drink-drive limit faster – find out why
It may be good for your waistline – but drinking alcohol with a sugar-free mixer could push you over the drink-drive limit faster.
Scientists say choosing the wrong mixer could have unforeseen consequences for drivers by giving them a false sense of safety behind the wheel.
A study has revealed that diet mixers increase alcohol levels in breath tests by nearly 10 per cent – with the levels staying high for at least three hours afterwards.
The findings by British and Turkish researchers matched previous studies which showed that the stomach empties more slowly with sugar in the system.
But in the absence of carbohydrates, any alcohol goes directly into the blood stream.
The study concluded that artificial sugars in diet drinks lead to alcohol getting into the blood at a faster rate, while sucrose, a sugar used in regular drinks, slows it down.
Writing in the journal Toxicology Letters, the researchers warned: ‘These findings underscore the need for public awareness regarding factors beyond alcohol content that can affect safe consumption and intoxication risk.
‘Consuming alcohol without carbohydrates may increase the risk of exceeding the breath-alcohol limit and falsely feeling safe to drive.
File image: Scientists say choosing the wrong mixer could have unforeseen consequences for drivers by giving them a false sense of safety behind the wheel
File image: A study has revealed that diet mixers increase alcohol levels in breath tests by nearly 10 per cent – with the levels staying high for at least three hours afterwards
‘This is particularly relevant as the popularity of alcoholic drinks with artificial sweeteners is rising, motivated by a desire to lower calorie intake and enhance intoxicating effects.
‘Even though diet mixers may reduce calorie intake, they increase the harm associated with higher breath alcohol levels.
‘People drinking alcohol with diet mixers may experience higher breath-alcohol levels than those consuming the same amount of alcohol with sugar-sweetened mixers, potentially bringing them closer to legal driving limits.’
In the study, staged at Queen Mary University in London, researchers measured alcohol levels in breath and how long it took for the stomach to empty.
Eight men and four women aged 19 to 64 were given measures of vodka proportional to their bodyweight. It was mixed with either diet or regular Coke.
For a person weighing 11 stone, this equated to 3.5 measures of vodka.
Breath-alcohol levels were measured every 15 minutes for three hours. Readings after downing vodkas with diet mixers were 8.5 per cent higher.
The researchers from Ankara University, Institute of Forensic Sciences, in Turkey say the lack of sucrose in diet mixers may cause stomachs to empty alcohol faster, increasing its absorption rate into the blood, resulting in higher breath-test readings.
They said further, more diverse research could ‘enhance our understanding of alcohol metabolism, ultimately contributing to safer drinking practices’.
