NEWS FLASH: Alcohol + fire = a dangerous combination. That’s the astounding takeaway from a new U.K. case study of men suffering severe burns to their lips, chins, and chests after they drank flaming shots.
The health hazards of some cocktails are obvious. (Remember, put out the flame before you try to drink burning booze.) But some popular, fire-free adult beverages carry added risks that may surprise you.
Jack and Diet Coke
While sugar slows down your body’s absorption of alcohol, the artificial sweeteners in diet soda ease the path of alcohol to your small intestine, shows research from Northern Kentucky University. As a result, people who drank hard liquor mixed with diet soft drinks registered blood alcohol concentrations 18 percent higher than those slamming non-diet mixers, the study found. Add to that diet soft drink’s waist-expanding properties, and you’re probably better off skipping the soda.
Red Bull/Vodka
The high caffeine content in energy drinks like Red Bull offsets the sedative quality of alcohol. The result: You can drink a ton of RBVs without feeling like you’re hammered, shows another study from the same team at Northern Kentucky. Why is that a problem? Despite how you feel, your reflexes and decision-making abilities are no less impaired than if you were drinking straight booze, the researchers say. That means you’re more likely to drive, swim, or take other risks you normally wouldn’t when bombed.
Brown Booze
Most distilled liquors contain congeners—a natural but slightly toxic byproduct of the fermenting process. But dark-colored liquors like bourbon or whiskey are packed with about 30 times more of these organic molecules than vodka, gin, or other clear libations. As a result, you feel more hung over after drinking dark booze, finds research from Brown University.
Malt Liquor
While this kind of brew makes up just 2.4 percent of the beer sold in the U.S., a recent study from Johns Hopkins University found that roughly 46 percent of people admitted to the ER for alcohol-related injuries in a year had been drinking malt liquor. It typically contains more alcohol than regular beer, but it’s not clear why downing it is more likely to lead to a hospital visit, the researchers say.
If you liked this story, you’ll love these:
Powered by WPeMatico
No comments:
Post a Comment