Diet soda and alcohol a bad mix, says study

Diet soda and alcohol may make you more drunk than using non-diet mixer according to a new study.

Researchers at North Kentucky University found that diet soda (or "pop" in certain parts of the country) increases breath alcohol content more than other sugary mixers.

They found breath alcohol levels higher in those who drank the same amount of alcohol mixed with diet soda compared with those who drank regular soda.

The study used eight males and eight females with an average age of 23, said HealthDay.

In what might be the most fun study to be apart of, the participants had three drinking sessions first with diet soda, then with regular soda and finally with a placebo.

Each time they drank the equivalent of four drinks with their breath alcohol content measured eight times during the three hours.

HealthDay pointed out that peak breath alcohol level in volunteers while drinking regular soda was 0.077, which is just under the legal limit.

That number was 0.091 for diet soda drinkers – well over the limit for operating a car.

"What you choose to mix your alcohol with could possibly be the difference between breaking or not breaking the law," said lead author Cecile Marczinski, reported CNN.

"The subjects were unaware of this difference, as measured by various subjective ratings including feelings of intoxication, impairment, and willingness to drive."

The study will be published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.