How ‘low-alcohol’ labels can make us drink more

IT may seem like the sensible option for those trying to cut back on the booze and cut down on calories.

But those opting for low-alcohol wine and beer may actually end up drinking more – meaning the health benefits are not as great as you might expect.

Low-strength drinks are gaining in popularity thanks to advertising campaigns billing them as ‘diet-friendly’ alternatives to regular-strength drinks. However, those given a low-alcohol tipple consume around a fifth more by volume, a study led by the University of Cambridge found.

Researchers set up a bar in their laboratory and convinced 264 drinkers, split into three groups, that they were taking part in a taste quality test.

A ‘super-low’ group was given wine labelled 4% ABV (alcohol by volume) and beer at 1%; a ‘low’ group had wine at 8% and beer at 3%; and the ‘regular’ group was offered wine at 12.9% and beer at 4.2%.

In fact, all drinks were of the same strength and only the labelling had changed.

The results showed participants drank 177ml of drinks they thought were ‘regular’ over half an hour – compared with 214ml if they were offered ‘super-low’ drinks.

There was no significant difference between the ‘regular’ and ‘low’ groups.

The study was funded by Britain’s Department of Health, which is considering allowing drinks with greater than 1.2% ABV – the current limit – to be labelled ‘low-alcohol’ in a bid to tackle the UK’s drinking problem.

Lead author Dr Milica Vasiljevic, of the University of Cambridge, said the findings suggested products labelled as low-strength are perceived as less harmful – and so drinkers may think they can consume more.

The study, also involving London South Bank University, appears in journal Health Psychology.