At one time, the world of non-alcoholic drinks was limited to a few dusty old cans of O’Doul’s sitting in the back fridge of your local bar.
But more recently, the genre has exploded. Craft beer companies are bending the basic tenets of chemistry in an effort to make non-alcoholic IPAs, stouts, and other styles that more closely resemble their boozy cousins.
And restaurants are crafting mocktails that focus on flavor specifically tailored to a lack of alcohol. All of this comes at a time when young people are seemingly drinking less than young people did in previous generations, according to Gallup polls.
But what benefits do these non-alcoholic beverages even bring to consumers, if any?
Alcoholic Beer vs. Non-Alcoholic Beer
When it comes to a comparison between drinking alcohol in excess, the answers seem obvious and numerous. You can drink and drive on non-alcoholic beer and it’s unlikely to harm pregnancy.
But there haven’t been many studies on actual health benefits of non-alcoholic drinks. Some of these potential benefits include the prevention of oxidative stress due to the antioxidants, helping blood and artery function, and lowering the potential of clotting.
In fact, non-alcoholic beer is better than regular beer at positively impacting the body, according to research published in 2022 in Nutrients.
“This effect cannot be solely attributed to alcohol content, since the polyphenol content in conventional beer tends to be higher than that found in non-alcoholic beer,” the researchers wrote in the study.
Further studies are needed to learn more about the possible benefits of non-alcoholic beer. But, according to the evidence the researchers could find, “The best option for cardiovascular health is probably a combination of non-alcoholic beer intake (instead of conventional beer) together with the inclusion of olive oil in the diet and increased physical activity,” compared to drinking alcoholic beer.
Read More: Even Moderate Drinking Is Not Good for Your Health
Mocktail Drink Benefits
Aside from this, unlike alcohol, which can cause dehydration, drinks without booze can help keep your liquid levels high. But at least one study notes that due to sugar and other potential things in many of these drinks, plain old water is still likely better. The exception to this could be sparkling, non-alcoholic seltzers.
Another drink often substituted for alcohol, kombucha, has antioxidant and antimicrobial properties that may work against foodborne pathogens.
As far as the non-alcoholic spirits that have gained in popularity — non-alcoholic whiskey, tequila and the likes — they carry less calories than booze does, for those who need to watch their weight.
Cutting Back
One of the main reasons for the rise in popularity of non-alcoholic drinks doesn’t have to do with its supposed benefits. Non-alcoholic beer or seltzer allows people to cut back on booze.
“Nonalcoholic beers are a great way for individuals to reduce their intake of alcohol while still being able to enjoy the taste and experience of a beer,” sobriety proponent Kerry Benson told Everyday Health. “By removing the alcohol, you’re taking out a compound that is toxic and that increases the risk of chronic disease.”
Studies have found as much. One paper published in 2023 found that people with alcohol use disorder were more likely to drink non-alcoholic beverages sometimes as an effort to replace alcohol in their diet. And according to reporting by The New York Times, even just replacing one of your usual drinks per week with a non-alcoholic one is likely to benefit your health.
Read More: How Long Does It Take for Alcohol to Leave Your System?
Are There Negative Impacts to Health?
Not everything is positive with non-alcoholic drinks, however. For example, non-alcoholic beer could provide adolescents a stepping stone to the consumption of alcoholic beer.
One study published recently in Behavioral Sciences conducted in Taiwan surveyed whether the consumption of non-alcoholic beer and influencer marketing could impact students decisions to drink actual alcohol. The survey revealed that influencer marketing of non-alcoholic beer could indeed affect their desire to drink non-alcoholic beer, as well as alcoholic beer.
“For individuals who did not purchase alcohol in the past year, both the exposure to influencer marketing and the consumption of non-alcoholic beer were associated with intending to purchase alcohol in the future,” the researchers wrote, adding that this was also true about individuals who had previously abstained from drinking alcohol.
“In conclusion, when adolescents were exposed to influencer marketing of non-alcoholic beer they were more likely to consume it, which resulted in an increased likelihood that they would then purchase and consume alcohol,” the researchers continued.
As for other packaged mocktails or similar type non-alcoholic drinks, the question of whether they offer any actual health benefits other than not ruining your liver really depends on the ingredients. Many of these drinks still carry a lot of sugar, and artificial sweeteners may cause problems such as heart problems, and may not help those looking to lose weight.
Article Sources
Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:
GALLUP Polls. Young Adults in U.S. Drinking Less Than in Prior Decades
Advances in Food and Nutrition Research. Chapter Three - Microbial Ecology of Fermented Vegetables and Non-Alcoholic Drinks and Current Knowledge on Their Impact on Human Health
Everyday Health. Everything You Need to Know About Nonalcoholic Beer
National Library of Medicine. Non-alcoholic beverage consumption among US adults who consume alcohol
The New York Times. What to Know About Non-Alcoholic Beverages
Behavioral Sciences. The Association of Influencer Marketing and Consumption of Non-Alcoholic Beer with the Purchase and Consumption of Alcohol by Adolescents
Mission Health. The not-so-sweet effects of artificial sweeteners on the body
Joshua Rapp Learn is an award-winning D.C.-based science writer. An expat Albertan, he contributes to a number of science publications like National Geographic, The New York Times, The Guardian, New Scientist, Hakai, and others.
