It could be beneficial for your figure – but consumingalcoholusing a sugar-free mixer might cause you to exceed the drink-driving limit more quickly.
Experts warn that selecting an inappropriate mixer might lead to unexpected effects on drivers, creating a misleading feeling of security while operating a vehicle.
A research finding shows that consuming diet mixers can raise alcohol levels in breath tests by almost 10 percent – with these levels remaining elevated for at least three hours.
The results from British and Turkish scientists aligned with earlier research indicating that the stomach empties at a slower rate when sugar is present.
However, when there are no carbohydrates present, any alcohol enters the bloodstream immediately.
The research found that artificial sweeteners in diet beverages cause alcohol to enter the bloodstream more quickly, whereas sucrose, a type of sugar found in regular drinks, delays this process.
Published in the journal Toxicology Letters, the researchers cautioned: 'These results highlight the importance of public understanding about elements other than alcohol concentration that can influence safe drinking and the likelihood of getting intoxicated.'
Drinking alcohol without consuming carbohydrates could raise the chances of surpassing the breath-alcohol threshold and give a misleading sense of being fit to drive.
This is especially significant given the increasing popularity of alcoholic beverages containing artificial sweeteners, driven by the aim to reduce calorie consumption and intensify the effects of intoxication.
Although diet mixers might lower calorie consumption, they contribute to greater damage linked with elevated breath alcohol concentrations.
Individuals who consume alcohol with diet mixers might have elevated breath-alcohol readings compared to those who drink the same quantity of alcohol with sugary mixers, which could push them nearer to legal driving thresholds.
A research project conducted at Queen Mary University in London examined breath alcohol levels and the time it took for the stomach to empty.
Eight individuals, comprising six men and four women between the ages of 19 and 64, received vodka measurements based on their body weight. The drink was combined with either diet or regular Coke.
For someone weighing 11 stone, this amounted to 3.5 portions of vodka.
Alcohol levels in breath were checked every 15 minutes over a period of three hours. Results showed an increase of 8.5 per cent after consuming vodkas mixed with diet drinks.
Scientists from Ankara University's Institute of Forensic Sciences in Turkey claim that the absence of sucrose in diet mixers could lead to the stomach emptying alcohol more quickly, thereby enhancing its absorption into the bloodstream and causing elevated breath test results.
They added that additional, more varied studies might "improve our comprehension of alcohol metabolism, thereby aiding in the development of safer drinking habits."
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