Drinking Non-Alcoholic Beverages Reduces Excessive Alcohol Intake

In a groundbreaking discovery, a recent study has shown that the consumption of non-alcoholic beverages with the taste of beer or cocktails can substantially decrease alcohol consumption for the first time. Substituting alcoholic drinks with their non-alcoholic counterparts could prove to be an effective approach for assisting heavy drinkers in reducing their alcohol consumption.

Overconsumption of alcohol represents a worldwide public health concern. It can lead to health conditions such as hypertension, cardiovascular ailments, strokes, and liver diseases, while also playing a role in significant societal problems, including traffic accidents and domestic violence.

The Influence of Non-Alcoholic Beverages on Alcohol Consumption

In recent years, there has been a surge in the popularity of non-alcoholic beverages, including beers, wines, spirits, and cocktails that mimic the taste of their alcoholic counterparts. But does consuming these beverages have any impact on alcohol consumption? A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Tsukuba in Japan suggests that it does.

The study involved 123 participants, all aged 20 or older, who were classified as “excessive drinkers,” meaning they consumed alcohol on four or more days per week, with at least 40 grams for men or 20 grams for women on each of those days. Participants with alcoholism or a history of liver disease were excluded from the study.

The participants were randomly divided into intervention and control groups. The intervention group received non-alcoholic beverages every four weeks for a total of 12 weeks, and their consumption of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks was recorded in a drinking diary for up to 20 weeks. The primary focus of the study was the change in total alcohol consumption during the past four weeks, measured at the 12-week mark.

Global Discrepancies in Standard Drink Definition

It’s important to note that the definition of a “standard drink,” representing a fixed quantity of pure alcohol, varies internationally. For instance, in Australia, it’s defined as 10 grams of alcohol, in the United States, it’s 14 grams, and in the UK, it’s 8 grams. In the context of this study conducted in Japan, a standard drink contains 10 grams of pure alcohol.

At the beginning of the study, the median baseline alcohol consumption was 996.0 grams in the intervention group and 887.5 grams in the control group, showing no significant difference between the two groups. However, by the 12-week mark, the researchers observed a change in alcohol consumption of -320.8 grams in the intervention group, compared to -76.9 grams in the control group. On average, alcohol consumption was reduced by 11.5 grams per day, which is slightly more than the equivalent of a standard drink.

Spontaneous Reduction in Alcohol Consumption in the Control Group

Interestingly, by the 12th week, the control group exhibited a decrease in alcohol consumption, averaging 2.7 grams less per day. This decrease was attributed by the researchers to the act of tracking their drinking through the use of a drinking diary.

However, the researchers noted that the changes in both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage consumption gradually lessened after the 8th week. By the 20th week, no significant correlation between the two was observed, with alcohol consumption being reduced by -276.9 grams in the intervention group and -126.1 grams in the control group. While they couldn’t pinpoint a specific reason for this, they theorize that it might be due to participants consuming all the available non-alcoholic beverages. Further investigations are necessary to confirm this hypothesis.

Nonetheless, the researchers highlight that the reduction in alcohol consumption observed in the intervention group, which persisted until the 20th week, even eight weeks after the intervention ended, suggests that a “certain degree of behavioral change may have occurred.” They argue that this is a positive outcome from a public health perspective.

The study’s findings indicate that offering non-alcoholic beverages could serve as an effective strategy for reducing alcohol consumption among individuals who engage in excessive drinking.

Read the original article on: New Atlas

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