During the last decade the consumption of low alcohol beers has increased considerably in the Netherlands. The improved taste and appearance of these beers, compared to those of previous years, combined with a more general trend for a healthier life-style might explain this increase. The permanent public information and education on the risks of drunken driving may have also contributed. The drinking of low alcohol beers instead of the traditional beers has a traffic safety aspect. On theoretical grounds it can be predicted that the consumption of even large quantities of low alcohol beer leads to very low blood alcohol concentrations (BAC). This study examines the effect of consumption of large quantities of two kinds of low alcohol beer (0.5 vol.% and 0.9 vol.%) on the BAC of healthy, male volunteers. Subjects and methods The study was performed with 20 male volunteers aged 19-25 (average 21). A previous medical examination revealed no indication of any disease for any of them. The body weights of the test persons ranged from 65 to 84 kg (average 76), their lengths from 175 to 200 cm (average 186). Alcohol was avoided for 20 hours before the experiments. For all test persons the distribution volume (WmMARK's r-factor) was calculated by WATSON's method (WATSON, 1981). It ranged from 0.72 to 0.81 (average 0.76) which can be considered as normal for young men. (Author/publisher)
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