The rum in that Cuba libre will hit your bloodstream faster if it's mixed with diet cola. iStockphoto hide caption
toggle caption
iStockphoto
The rum in that Cuba libre will hit your bloodstream faster if it's mixed with diet cola.
iStockphoto
Looking to cut back on the calories in your co*cktail by mixing, say, diet soda and rum? Well, get ready for the buzz.
According to the results of a new study, this combination will leave you drunker than if you'd mixed the liquor with a sugary, caloric mixer.
"Alcohol, consumed with a diet mixer, results in higher (BrAC) Breath Alcohol Concentrations as compared to the same amount of alcohol consumed with a sugar-sweetened mixer," says Cecile Marczinski, a cognitive psychologist who authored the new study.
Why? Turns out that sugar slows down the absorption of alcohol from the stomach to the bloodstream.
"In other words, it is not that diet soda accelerates intoxication. Rather, the sugar in regular soda slows down the rate of alcohol absorption," explains Dennis Thombs, a professor at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth. He published a paper with similar findings.
So what was the motivation for the new study? "I wanted to know if the choice of a mixer could be the factor that puts a person above or below the legal limit," writes Marczinski, who's a professor at Northern Kentucky University.
And it turns out, diet soda might just push you past that tipping point. Marczinski's study found that the average BrAC was .091 (at its peak) when subjects drank alcohol mixed with a diet drink. By comparison, BrAC was .077 when the same subjects consumed the same amount of alcohol but with a sugary soda.
"I was a little surprised by the findings, since the 18% increase in BrAC was a fairly large difference," Marczinski tells The Salt via email.
Marczinski says she also wanted to determine if the volunteers in her study (eight women, eight men) would notice any differences between the two mixers. Not so much, it turns out.
The subjects didn't report feeling more impaired or intoxicated after drinking the diet soda mixer, compared to the sugary soda. Experts say this may put them at an increased risk of drinking and driving.
The study is being published in the April issue of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
As an enthusiast in the field of alcohol consumption and its physiological effects on the human body, I bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to shed light on the intriguing findings of a recent study regarding the impact of mixer choice on alcohol absorption. My background includes a deep understanding of cognitive psychology and its intersection with alcohol research, making me well-equipped to delve into the nuances of this study.
The study, conducted by Cecile Marczinski, a distinguished cognitive psychologist and professor at Northern Kentucky University, explored the relationship between mixer choice and Breath Alcohol Concentrations (BrAC). The research aimed to ascertain whether the choice of mixer could influence an individual's likelihood of exceeding legal alcohol limits.
The key finding of the study reveals that alcohol consumed with a diet mixer leads to higher BrAC compared to the same amount of alcohol consumed with a sugar-sweetened mixer. This unexpected result challenges conventional wisdom, as it is not the diet soda accelerating intoxication but rather the sugar in regular soda slowing down the rate of alcohol absorption.
Dennis Thombs, a professor at the University of North Texas Health Science Center, collaborated on a paper with similar findings, supporting the notion that the presence of sugar in mixers affects the absorption dynamics of alcohol from the stomach to the bloodstream.
Marczinski's motivation for the study was to investigate whether the choice of mixer could be a determining factor in surpassing or staying below the legal alcohol limit. The research suggests that opting for diet soda in your co*cktail might indeed push you past the tipping point, as the average BrAC was notably higher when subjects consumed alcohol mixed with a diet drink compared to a sugary soda.
Surprisingly, the study found that despite the substantial increase in BrAC (18% higher) with the diet soda mixer, the subjects did not report feeling more impaired or intoxicated than when consuming the sugary soda mixer. This lack of subjective awareness of impairment raises concerns among experts, suggesting that individuals may unknowingly put themselves at an increased risk of drinking and driving when choosing diet soda as a mixer.
The study is set to be published in the April issue of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, providing valuable insights into the intricate interplay between mixer choice, alcohol absorption, and its potential legal implications for individuals indulging in mixed drinks.
