People who mix alcohol and diet drinks end up with more alcohol on their breath, according to a new study.
People who drank vodka mixed with diet soda had higher alcohol concentrations on their breath than those who drank the same amount of vodka mixed with regular soda, researchers write in Drug and Alcohol Dependence.
Prevention materials should include this information so people know that by trying to avoid some extra calories in a mixed drink, they risk having higher breath alcohol concentrations, write the researchers, led by Amy Stamates of Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights.
Previous research found similar results, but the findings were not generalizable to real-world scenarios, the researchers add.
For the new study, they had 10 men and 10 women between ages 21 and 30 drink five different mixed beverage combinations over five sessions. The drinks contained varying amounts of vodka and either diet or regular sweetened soda. One drink was just regular soda alone.
The researchers then measured the alcohol concentrations in the participants' breaths for three hours.
They found higher concentrations of alcohol on the breaths of the participants when they drank the mixed beverages containing diet soda.
For a low amount of alcohol, the researchers found breath alcohol concentrations were about 22 percent higher when participants had their beverages mixed with diet soda rather than regular soda.
For a larger amount of alcohol, breath alcohol concentrations were about 25 percent higher when the drinks were made with diet soda.
People who drank vodka mixed with diet soda had higher alcohol concentrations on their breath than those who drank the same amount of vodka mixed with regular soda, researchers write in Drug and Alcohol Dependence.
Prevention materials should include this information so people know that by trying to avoid some extra calories in a mixed drink, they risk having higher breath alcohol concentrations, write the researchers, led by Amy Stamates of Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights.
Previous research found similar results, but the findings were not generalizable to real-world scenarios, the researchers add.
For the new study, they had 10 men and 10 women between ages 21 and 30 drink five different mixed beverage combinations over five sessions. The drinks contained varying amounts of vodka and either diet or regular sweetened soda. One drink was just regular soda alone.
The researchers then measured the alcohol concentrations in the participants' breaths for three hours.
They found higher concentrations of alcohol on the breaths of the participants when they drank the mixed beverages containing diet soda.
For a low amount of alcohol, the researchers found breath alcohol concentrations were about 22 percent higher when participants had their beverages mixed with diet soda rather than regular soda.
For a larger amount of alcohol, breath alcohol concentrations were about 25 percent higher when the drinks were made with diet soda.
