Sweeteners Increase Alcohol Effect

Artificial sweeteners increase the rate of alcohol absorption in the body, meaning that drinks mixed with diet soda may be more potent than sugary drinks.

Reuters reported May 23 that Australian researchers said that the sweeteners cause the stomach to empty faster, thus speeding alcohol into the bloodstream. They based their conclusions on experiments using ultrasound to track digestion among a group of male test subjects after they consumed vodka mixed with an orange sugar-sweetened drink, then later a drink sweetened with artificial ingredients.

Dr. Chris Rayner and colleagues at Royal Adelaide Hospital found that the subjects' stomachs emptied half of their contents in 15.3 minutes after the diet drink, compared to 21.1 minutes after consuming the sugar-sweetened drink. Peak blood-alcohol content also was higher after the men drank the artificially sweetened drink.

"People tend to consume more [drinks with diet mixers] because of the lower calorie content," said Rayner. "These drinks also tend to be consumed at times other than meal times, when food would slow gastric emptying." Rayner said that labels on artificially sweetened alcohol drinks should warn about the elevated risk of intoxication.