Lower-alcohol, lower-calorie wines: harm reduction or harm production?

To the Editor: We have previously argued that the recent rapid increase in the popularity of low-carbohydrate (“low-carb”) beers, in Australia and other countries, is more a community health risk than a healthy alternative to traditional beers.1 This contention has since been supported by a survey conducted by the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth), which found that “low carbohydrate beer drinkers mistakenly believe these beverages are a healthier choice than other varieties”.2 Seventy-one per cent of respondents believed that low-carbohydrate beer is healthier than full-carbohydrate beer, despite having the same alcohol content. Alarmingly, 15% of respondents indicated that they consume more beer when drinking low-carbohydrate beer because they believe it is healthier than full-carbohydrate beer.