The study, which took place at Northern Kentucky University, tested 16 participants during a three-session span. At each session, the participants were given one of three random drinks, including mixtures of Squirt and Smirnoff, Diet Squirt and Smirnoff and a placebo drink. The results showed the Diet Squirt and Smirnoff combo led to an 18 percent BrAC increase, although the participants showed no signs of recognizing a difference between the effect of the two drinks.

In previous studies, research showed the stomach reacts to sugar-filled drinks as if they were food, which reduces BrAC by about 20-57 percent, according to an article from Time Magazine.

The latest news of a sugarless chaser increasing someone’s buzz was a surprise for some students and local East Lansing bar managers.

Crunchy’s General Manager Mike Krueger said people who had been ordering alcoholic beverages mixed with diet drinks probably weren’t aware of the extra buzz they might have had.

“I would be highly surprised if someone is ordering diet drinks over regular drinks over the past year because they are trying to get drunker,” Krueger said.

Mechanical engineering sophomore Melanie Mullett, who occasionally uses Diet Coke in mixed drinks, doesn’t increase her use of diet sodas when having an alcoholic beverage but understands how some students would.

“I don’t think I personally would do that, but I know people who would,” Mullett said. “I think it’s honestly the preference of the person who’s drinking it.”

Mechanical engineering junior Brooke Peruski said adding more diet options with mixed drinks is not needed at the bars.

“I think they offer them anyway, like a lot of the classics like Diet Coke,” Peruski said. “But I guess if it increases (BrAC) they should probably avoid it, just for their sake.”

The idea of adding more diet sodas to the menu for mixing with alcohol isn’t something Crunchy’s is considering, Krueger said.

If the bar were to add them, it would be to add more variety because students are capable of reaching a high buzz as it is, he said.

“They are pretty capable of doing that on their own,” Krueger jokingly said. “We would like to keep them less drunk to keep them around longer.”