KITCHENER -- A new study from the University of Guelph shows sweet drinks, like wine coolers, could pave the way for increased alcohol consumption.
The sugar in the drinks masks the alcohol's taste, which the study says makes young people more likely to drink them. The study, which looks at the role of high-fructose corn syrup, found drinking sweetened beverages promotes drinking more alcohol.
The study was performed by two psychology professors -- Francesco Leri and Linda Parker -- and master's student Samantha Ayoub.
Leri said the results show university-aged students, and their parents, should consider the study a cautionary tale about drinking the sweetened beverages.
“The more sweetened drinks that an adolescent drinks, the more likely they are to drink alcohol that is not sweetened,” Leri said in a news release from the university.
Leri also said the sweetened drinks could affect adolescent drinking behaviour, meaning they act as "a gateway -- a way to get introduced and then like alcohol itself."
Other studies found sucrose and glucose sweeteners encouraged rats to drink more alcohol, the U of G said in the release.
The study was published in the journal Alcohol. The university said this is the first study to look at high-fructose corn syrup, which accounts for one-quarter of the volume of many sweetened drinks.
The research allowed rats to self-administer drinks, testing consumption of different alcohol proportions mixed with 25 per cent high-fructose corn syrup. The study showed the sweetener increased palatability for the rates, which was measured through behaviour like licking their noses. The rats showed facial signs of disgust if they were given alcohol without sweeteners.
“Most rats don’t voluntarily drink alcohol by itself. The moment we added high-fructose corn syrup, there was a huge increase in consumption,” Leri said.
When given drinks with 10 per cent alcohol and 25 per cent corn syrup, the rats drank the human equivalent of four-and-a-half beers in 30 minutes. The researchers didn't measure blood alcohol levels, but said drinking that amount would cause "binge drinking" levels in humans.
They also mixed the alcohol with saccharin, a no-calorie sweetened. That sweetener increased consumption, but not the same level as the corn syrup.
Leri has performed past studies looking at the effect corn syrup has on the brain. This was his first study on how it would affect the consumption of other addictive substances like alcohol.
Leri added drinking coolers can make someone grow accustomed to the taste of alcohol, even if they don't like drinking spirits on their own.
“Most people that don’t like the taste of alcohol in a drink will drink sweetened coolers. We think they get an introduction to alcohol via sweeteners," he said.
Following his research, Leri said he'd like companies to consider using natural sweeteners, like cane sugar, or stop marketing products to younger audiences. He also said parents should discuss drinking sweetened beverages with young people.
“Because it’s sweet and tastes like pop doesn’t make it any safer than a straight can of beer or glass of wine. Alcohol is alcohol no matter what," he said. "Because alcohol is sweet, there’s a danger of over-drinking. It’s important to monitor the amount taken, especially when it’s mixed with other substances. It’s just another drug of addiction, that’s all it is.”
Leri plans to continue researching how sweetened alcohols can affect people's brains.
The study was founded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council.
