Fancy a quick two-thirds? It may not be as appealing as the more familiar after-work drink, but researchers say swapping a British pint for a smaller one could improve the nation’s health.
Scientists reached this conclusion after a trial in a dozen pubs, bars and restaurants in England, in which pints were eliminated and two-thirds of a pint became the largest draught beer available.
The experiment, which met with some resistance, resulted in a drop in the amount of beer sold of almost 10%. Although modest, the drop could reduce the impact of alcohol-related harm, which claims thousands of lives in the UK every year, the team believes.
“This is the first real study that looks at this,” said Prof Dame Theresa Marteau, study leader and director of the Behavioural Health Research Unit at the University of Cambridge. “Does this have the potential to contribute to public health? I would say, absolutely, yes.”
Alcohol increases the risk of more than 60 health problems, from liver cirrhosis to cancer, and, along with the accidents associated with them, millions of deaths worldwide. More than a fifth of adults in England drink more than 14 units a week, putting them at greater risk of harm.
The Cambridge trial tested the idea that people often think in portions rather than portion sizes, choosing one pint, one cup of tea, one slice of cake, rather than specific numbers of millilitres or grams. In a similar trial in January, wine sales fell when the largest glass size, typically 250ml, was dropped.
To see if the trick would work for beer, the researchers invited more than 1,700 pubs, bars and restaurants to take part in the trial. The response was overwhelmingly unenthusiastic: despite compensation for lost revenue, only 13 agreed.
The trial lasted for three months last year. In the first and last month, pints were served as normal. In the middle month, pints were removed, with customers being told that the largest beer on tap was two-thirds of a pint.
After analyzing data from 12 establishments—one was excluded—it was found that smaller portions reduced the volume of beer sold by 9.7 percent. Although wine sales increased, total alcohol consumption still fell. Revenues fell by 5 percent, the authors report in Plos Medicine.
None of the establishments have definitively abolished the pint. In addition to the loss of revenue, there is an inertia to overcome. The British pint, introduced in 1698, is a cultural staple. But at 568 ml, it is one of the largest common beers in the world. Germans prefer 500 ml, an American pint is 473 ml, the Australian schooner 425 ml.
Matt Beety, owner of the bear on Abbeydale Road in Sheffield, which took part in the trial, said the rise of craft beer bars was already shifting the mindset away from the pint. A few punters asked why they weren’t allowed pints, he said, but most were happy to do so. Drinkers who usually came for a few when Sheffield United were playing tended to stick to two rather than returning to the bar for a third, he added.
Drinkers in South London were more intrigued than convinced. the fox on the hilla Wetherspoon’s in Denmark Hill, Patrick, 35, and Ryan, 29, enjoyed a pint in the sunshine.
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“I just went to Turkey on an all-inclusive and the drinks at the hotel were so big,” Ryan said, gesturing to indicate it was very small. “You just order more.”
“It depends on where you’re going,” Patrick said. “If you’re taking a quick sip, it probably won’t matter. You might drink more of it. But if you’re trying to get drunk? Well, you might need six instead of four.”
Rosalie and Ella, both 21, were unanimous in their opinion the Crown and the Greyhound in Dulwich. “Realistically, we would still be drinking the same amount,” Rosalie said. “I was in Australia drinking schooners and it didn’t slow me down at all,” Ella added. “I would consider two-thirds as halves. I would definitely round down.”
Marteau said there is no silver bullet to reduce alcohol-related disease. “When we think about tackling alcohol, we often think about affordability and advertising. We highlight an additional intervention that could be considered for alcohol control policies,” she said.