Alarming hidden health risks of alcohol-free beer and wine as experts issue warning

With the sunshine blazing, beer gardens across the UK will be bustling and whilst Britain is a nation of drinkers, many are swapping pints of lager for alcohol-free alternatives in the belief they’re making a healthier choice.

Whilst you won’t suffer a hangover with an alcohol-free beer, it's not entirely a healthy choice, especially if not consumed in moderation. Sales of alcohol-free beer are booming, however health experts have warned that some of these drinks could still do harm.

New research has found that regularly drinkingalcohol-free beer, especially wheat-based or “mixed” varieties flavoured with fruit soda, could significantly increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart problems.

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In 2023 alone, 120 million pints of alcohol-free beer were sold in UK pubs, a 14% jump from the previous year, and an astonishing 77.8% increase compared to 2019. Scientists say the sugar and calorie content in many alcohol-free brews drunk regularly could quietly be damaging your health.

A recent study tracked 44 healthy men who were asked to consume either two bottles of alcohol-free beer or water each day for four weeks. Throughout the trial, researchers carried out blood tests to assess changes in the men’s metabolic health.

The results, published in Nutrients, showed those who drank alcohol-free beer showed increased levels of insulin in the blood - an early sign of insulin resistance - which is linked to type 2 diabetes. Blood sugar levels also rose, alongside levels of triglycerides, a type of fat associated with cardiovascular disease.

According to the researchers, a team from the University of California, San Diego, Germany’s Knappschaft Kliniken and the University of the Basque Country, the negative health effects appear to be largely driven by excess sugar and calories in some alcohol-free beers.

“Non-alcoholic beers are gaining popularity as alternatives to alcoholic beverages, yet their metabolic and health effects compared to no consumption of these drinks remain unclear,” an international research team from University of California San Diego, Knappschaft Kliniken in Germany and University of the Basque Country in Spain, reported last month in Nutrients journal. The research study found that these drinks have an unfavourable effect on metabolism, which is driven by their calorie and sugar content.

The problem lies in the way many alcohol-free drinks are made. Removing the alcohol can also strip out flavour, so brewers often add sugar or flavourings to improve taste with some options containing more sugar than their boozy counterparts. McGuigan Zero Shiraz, for example, contains 4.5g of sugar per 100ml, five times more than the 0.9g of sugar per 100ml in the brand’s Black Label Shiraz (13 per cent ABV). Last year a market analysts Mintel report stated that “concerns about sugar are a major barrier to greater take-up of low/no alcohol drinks.”

In another example, a 330ml bottle of Erdinger Alkoholfrei contains nearly 12g of sugar, more than seven times the 1.65g in the brand’s standard Weissbier. That’s already over one-third of the NHS’s recommended daily limit for added sugar (30g).

Drinkaware, the alcohol education charity, advises consumers to check labels carefully. “It’s important to understand the calories in any drink don’t just come from alcohol, so you only ‘save’ calories if the substitute drink is a ‘low-calorie’ one,” the charity notes.

Dr Richard Piper, chief executive of Alcohol Change, stressed that not all booze-free drinks are equally bad. Many low-alcohol beers and wines do contain less sugar than soft drinks, he said. Speaking to The Times he said: “The latest study compared the metabolic effects of low/no beers with water, but orange juice typically contains 13.8g and cola about 11g of sugar per 100ml, more than many no-alcohol beverages,” he says. “If you choose wisely you can have a low-alcohol drink with 135 times less sugar than the same volume of fruit juice.”

One standout is Lucky Saint, with just 0.33g of sugar per 330ml bottle. Others like Brewdog’s Nanny State and Carlsberg Alcohol Free also come in at under 2g per bottle. But at the higher end of the scale, Erdinger Alkoholfrei, Brooklyn Special Effects and Days Lager all pack more than 8g of sugar per bottle.

A similar picture emerges with alcohol-free wines. McGuigan Zero Shiraz contains 4.5g of sugar per 100ml five times more than its full-strength sibling, Black Label Shiraz. Meanwhile, a single glass of Nozeco sparkling wine has 6.25g of sugar and just 25 calories.

Despite the concerns, sales of low and no-alcohol drinks aren’t slowing down. Figures from Stonegate Group, the UK’s largest pub company, revealed a 32% rise in sales year-on-year, while market researchers IWSR reported that the UK market for alcohol-free drinks have doubled.

Alcohol-free doesn’t mean sugar free, so for those making the long term switch it’s best to have a peak at the sugar contents and drink in moderation and wisely.