Poster Presentation Australian Diabetes Society and the Australian Diabetes Educators Association Annual Scientific Meeting 2017

Comparative effects of low-carbohydrate-, full-strength- and low-alcohol beer on gastric emptying, alcohol absorption and glycaemia in healthy young subjects. (#328)

Julie E Stevens 1 , Laurence G Trahair 2 , Chinmay S Marathe 2 , Raj Sardana 2 , Michael Horowitz 3 , Karen L Jones 2
  1. University of South Australia , Adelaide , Australia
  2. University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
  3. Discipline of Medicine , Endocrine & Metabolic Unit, Royal Adelaide Hospital / University of Adelaide , Adelaide , SA, Australia

Introduction: Low-carbohydrate/full-strength (LC) beer has become increasingly popular with the perception amongst the general public that LC beer represents a ‘healthy’ alternative to high-carbohydrate/full-strength (FS) beer because its caloric content is less. There is also a frequent and incorrect perception that LC beer contains less alcohol.

Objectives: To evaluate the comparative effects of LC, FS, and ‘light’ low-alcohol (LA) beer on gastric emptying (GE), ethanol absorption and glycaemia in healthy subjects.

Methods: 8 healthy subjects (4M, 4F; age: 20.4 ± 0.4yr; BMI 22.7 ± 0.4 kg/m2) had concurrent measurements of GE, plasma ethanol and blood glucose for 180min on 3 separate occasions after ingesting 600mL of (i) FS beer (5.0%w/v, 246kcal, 19.2g carbohydrate), (ii) LC beer (4.6%w/v, 180kcal, 5.4g carbohydrate) and (iii) LA beer (2.6%w/v, 162kcal, 17.4g carbohydrate) labelled with 20MBq 99mTc-calcium phytate, in random order.

Results: There was no difference in the 50% emptying time (T50) for GE (FS: 89.0 ± 13.5 min vs LC: 79.5 ± 12.9 min vs LA: 74.6 ± 12.4 min; P=0.39). There was a significant difference (P< 0.001) in the AUCs for ethanol absorption such that the plasma ethanol after LA was less than LC (P< 0.001) and FS (P< 0.001), with no difference between LC and FS (P= 1.0). There was a significant difference (P< 0.05) between the AUCs for blood glucose for the 3 study days, so that the AUC for LA was greater than LC (P< 0.001), with no difference between LA and FS (P= 0.40) or LC and FS (P= 1.0).

Conclusions: In healthy young subjects there is very little difference in GE of FS, LC and LA beers. There was no difference between the plasma ethanol absorption after LC and FS beer and the glycaemic response was predictably less after LC compared to FS.