Health claims trick consumers despite alcohol content, study finds
Containing just 99 calories in a 330-milliliter bottle, Hahn SuperDry is one of a growing number of beers advertised as “low-carb” and “99.9 percent sugar-free.”
Great Northern Brewing Co.’s Original Lager, on the other hand, contains about 102 calories per 330-milliliter bottle but is not advertised as low-carb, even though the calories (the actual measure of how much energy is in the beer) are nearly the same.
The main difference between how the two are marketed is that SuperDry has fewer carbohydrates but more alcohol (4.6 percent versus 4.2 percent in beer).
Research published this month inside Health Promotion International He argues that this marketing tactic of promoting alcohol as low-carb, low-sugar or low-calorie works.
Exposing more than 2,000 people to samples of drinks with different health claims on the label, researchers found that volunteers were more likely to rate low-carb or low-sugar drinks as healthier, but still agreed that they were all bad overall. The effect was strongest for low-carb claims and for women, low-calorie claims.
“These health claims lead consumers to believe they are healthier,” said Asad Yusoff, a researcher at the George Institute who led the study. “They pose the same risk to consumers.”
To further add to the confusion, unlike food, beer companies are not required to put calorie counts on their labels unless they specifically claim to be low-carb.
“It’s actually impossible at this stage for a consumer to accurately compare a product that claims to be low-carb with a product that isn’t low-carb,” said Dr Mia Miller, a researcher at the National Center for Drug and Alcohol Research. (Need It is being phased in For the next three years.)
But the alcohol industry disagrees with the researchers’ criticism.
they point Research by the government’s food standards agency. It found that although people thought low-carb beers were slightly healthier for you, this didn’t make them more likely to buy them.
“Australians are increasingly embracing moderation,” said Alistair Coe, chief executive of Alcohol Beverages Australia, which represents major producers. “Alcohol consumption is at its lowest level in 60 years, risky drinking has decreased significantly across society, and underage alcohol consumption has more than halved in the last two decades.”
Where do all these calories come from?
So how can a low-carb beer contain a similar amount of calories as a full-bodied beer?
The answer lies in alcohol content.
Many low-carb beers have similar alcohol volumes as full-strength beers.
Pure Blonde Low Carb is 4.2 percent, Carlton Dry is 4.5 percent and Hanh SuperDry is 4.6 percent. A full-carb Corona contains 4.5 percent alcohol, while VB and Crown contain 4.9 percent alcohol.
“It’s a low-carb food to begin with. So going ‘low-carb’ makes little difference to the calories,” said accredited dietitian Dr Tim Crowe.
When burned by our body, each gram of carbohydrate contributes four calories of energy. Alcohol is also ultimately burned as energy and is much more energy dense than carbohydrates or protein, contributing seven calories of energy.
Generally, most of the calorie content It comes from alcohol, not the carbohydrates in a glass of beer or a bottle of wine.
For example, 1.1 standard drinks in Pure Blonde Ultra Low Carb is equivalent to 77 calories, down from 85 calories in the bottle.
And alcohol brings unique health risks. A. Meta-analysis of 572 studies Binge drinkers were found to have a significantly increased risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, colon and liver, including 486,538 cases of cancer.
“The places where alcohol causes cancer are where it comes into contact with the body,” said Professor Simone Pettigrew, George’s head of food policy. “It’s a toxin. Your brain resists the idea because people drink it all the time.”
It’s not clear exactly how alcohol causes cancer. The body first metabolizes it to acetaldehyde. Chemical that can bind directly to DNApotentially damage or mutate it; acetaldehyde is also main chemical component of cigarette smoke.
Zero alcohol beer: A Trojan horse?
Consistent with the increase in low-carb beer is the increase in zero-alcohol beers. prevalence has more than doubled In Australian alcohol stores between 2022 and 2024.
But a 2024 survey of Dutch university students found that most people added zero-alcohol drinks to their regular drinking habits rather than drinking less.
“People will tell us, ‘Normally I would alternate between alcohol and non-alcoholic beverages,'” Pettigrew said. “They’re now switching between alcohol and zero alcohol. They’re drinking these zero alcohol products, but it’s not a replacement for their regular alcohol.”
Although the sale of alcoholic beverages in supermarkets is generally not allowed in Australia, the same restriction does not apply to zero-alcohol brands.
“Zero alcohol advertising may be a way for the alcohol industry to take its brand to places where they normally would not be able to advertise due to exposure to children,” Pettigrew said.
The alcohol industry argues there is no evidence that zero-alcohol beers are simply added to people’s existing drinking habits.
“Australia has a world-leading alcohol marketing framework,” Coe said. “The Responsible Alcohol Marketing Act applies across all media and includes specific rules for non-alcoholic or very low alcohol products. Although these drinks contain zero alcohol, strict rules still apply to protect minors.”
Liam Mannix is the national science correspondent for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect with: X or email.
