Some Foods that Cause Alcoholic Breath
In addition to alcoholic beverages such as wine and beer, there are many foods, drinks, and even medications that can increase the alcohol content in the blood. Some of these foods include:
– Some ripe fruits with high sugar content, such as durian, lychee, rambutan… These fruits have the ability to naturally ferment and produce alcohol. However, the difference between drinking alcohol and eating fruits that have fermented lies in the amount of alcohol in the blood. When eating fruits, the alcohol content is only in the mouth and is exhaled through breath, not in the bloodstream. Typically, the time it takes for the alcohol content to completely diminish is about 15-30 minutes, depending on the quantity of food consumed.
– Some sugar-free chewing gums, protein bars;
– Some spicy hot sauces;
– Dishes prepared with alcohol, beer, or wine. Research has shown that steamed or boiled meat with beer or wine will retain 85% of the alcohol content, while marinated meat with beer or wine retains 70% of the alcohol content. Food must be cooked thoroughly for 150 minutes in order for the alcohol content to decrease by 5% compared to the initial preparation.
– Some cough syrups, sleeping pills, asthma inhalers, certain types of vitamins, mouthwash, breath fresheners…
– Non-alcoholic beverages such as non-alcoholic beer or wine, carbonated drinks, energy drinks…
People with gastroesophageal reflux disease or auto-brewery syndrome, also known as non-alcoholic beer syndrome, may also test positive for alcohol content. Typically, these are rare cases.
How to Reduce Alcohol Breath from Consuming Fermented Foods
Dr. Bui Le Minh, Head of the Biotechnology Department at the High-tech Technology Institute of NTT – Nguyen Tat Thanh University, advises that when consuming foods that contain a small amount of alcohol, it is important to thoroughly rinse the mouth and wait for about 30 minutes before driving to ensure that there is no alcohol in the breath.
If using mouthwash with alcohol, simply rinsing the mouth with filtered water will eliminate the alcohol content in the breath.
When consuming alcohol, it takes approximately 12-24 hours for the body to completely metabolize and eliminate the alcohol.