Here's why mixing alcohol with Diet Coke gets you drunk faster than regular Coke

Here's why Diet Coke gets you drunk faster than regular Coke
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Here's why Diet Coke gets you drunk faster than regular Coke
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One TikTok user noticed that alcoholic cocktails with Diet Coke™ got her drunk faster than alcoholic cocktails with regular Coke™. How do you explain this phenomenon?

Could Diet Coke™ have unsuspected virtues? Inexpensive, (very) easily available, Coca-Cola is often used as a cocktail base at parties. No need to have advanced knowledge in mixology: mixed with rum, for example, greatly facilitates the consumption of strong alcohol. But many people have noticed that its effectiveness was increased when it was replaced by its variant, Coca-Cola Light™. What does the science say?

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Coca-Cola Light™ Vs. Coca-Cola™ Classic

Loryn Powell is one of those people who noticed that Diet Coke got you drunk faster than regular Coke™. Curious, she decided to conduct an experiment: Drink the same cocktail with both types of Coke, blow into a breathalyzer and film it.

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As expected, this TikToker had a higher alcohol concentration after drinking 4 Diet Cokes! Was the sugar-free variant of Coke secretly alcoholic? We reassure you, this is not the case, and behind these curious results is a simple scientific explanation.

@lorynpowell

How is this even possible? I tested whiskey with Diet Coke and Coke on 2 separate days to see if that theory going around is true. #dietcoke#whiskey#breathalyzer#cocktails#jackandcoke#science

♬ original sound - Loryn Powell
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Read more Coca-Cola tastes different around the globe, here's why

Slower sugar absorption

As Loryn Powell's video went viral (1.5 million views as of this writing), the account, @dr.Karan answered that millennial question. But why on earth does Diet Coke™ make us drunk faster?

His explanation, brief and to the point:

It has nothing to do with the diet mixer, but more to do with the fact that sugar in regular Coke makes your stomach empty more slowly into the small intestine
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Indeed, the sugar, before passing must be digested to be absorbed, and as Coca-Cola Light™ does not have it the digestion of Whiskey Coca-Cola Light is significantly faster than that of the classic Whiskey Coca! 'It's the same principle as why you get drunk faster on an empty stomach' adds @dr.Karan.

@dr.karanr

DIET COKE V REGULAR COKE @lorynpowell

♬ Cornfield Chase - Hans Zimmer
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This article is translated from Gentside FR.

Read more:

Coca-Cola: The surprising reason why McDonald's coke tastes different

Here’s a secret hack to open a Coca-Cola can

Sources used:

TikTok

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