The Clinical Effects of Consuming Enough Low-Alcoholic Beer to Reach the UK Legal Driving Limit

Danny Chandla, George Harwood

Abstract


51 litres or 115 cans of low-alcoholic beer would be required to reach the UK legal alcohol limit for drivers [1]. This paper explores the physiological and potential pathophysiological effects of consuming such a volume with respect to Na+, by modelling the non-alcoholic beer as a solution of ethanol in deionised water. It is found that consuming such a volume would cause serum Na+ to drop to 13.21 mEq/L. This is classified as severe hyponatraemia, with the most likely consequence being death.


Keywords


Health; Biology; Alcohol consumption; Metabolism; UK legal driving limit; Hyponatraemia

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References


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