Zero Calorie Vodka Hoax

createsure

I'm almost positive that this is a mistake, and here's why:

1. Alcohol contains 7 cals per gram, NO EXCEPTIONS.
2. Do a Google search for zero-calorie vodka and only one source comes up. It's the one that the original poster (icandoit?) copy and pasted from, and it's an error. Here's the link: http://www.squidoo.com/SmirnoffZeroCalorieVodka
3. Smirnoff does have zero CARB vodka (which it advertises comes in all flavors.)
4. The Smirnoff website has nothing about zero calorie vodka anywhere on it.

Sorry to burst the bubble.

createsure

I'm almost positive that this is a mistake, and here's why:

1. Alcohol contains 7 cals per gram, NO EXCEPTIONS.
2. Do a Google search for zero-calorie vodka and only one source comes up. It's the one that the original poster (icandoit?) copy and pasted from, and it's an error. Here's the link: http://www.squidoo.com/SmirnoffZeroCalorieVodka
3. Smirnoff does have zero CARB vodka (which it advertises comes in all flavors.)
4. The Smirnoff website has nothing about zero calorie vodka anywhere on it.

Sorry to burst the bubble.

alwaysenl

createsure

By the way, vodka has about 65 calories per shot. So, if you're mixing it with zero calorie beverages, it's not that much anyway!

icandoit

New Zero Calorie Vodka
Smirnoff's new zero calorie vodka is now available in a wide variety of flavors including watermelon, black cherry, lime, citrus, green apple, grape, rasberry, and the traditional original flavor. It can be purchased at any local grocery store, gas station or liquor store. The price is $19.99 for 750 ml or $29.99 for 1.75 L

Media Advisory
October 22, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Michelle Lewis
MLewis@smirnoff.com
504-655-7577
611 E Daniel St, Champaign, IL, 61820

The Smirnoff Corporation's CEO Nicholas Sorenson will be appearing live on CNBC tomorrow night, Monday November 9, 2007 at 8 a.m. in New York City.

CEO Nicholas Sorenson will be promoting Smirnoff's newest product, zero calorie Vodka. He'll be explaining all of the nutrition facts as well as the flavors it is available in. Also Sorenson will announce when and where the product is available and at what cost.

Nicholas Sorenson has been with Smirnoff for over 15 years now and is excited about this new break through product. He has been a crucial part of Smirnoff promotions throughout the years and continues to earn the respect and loyalty of customers across the world.

Again, he will be appearing on CNBC on November 9, 2007 at 8 a.m.

His appearance will take place outside of the CNBC studio near the Smirnoff promotional tents and busses on the corner of Washington Street and State Street.

Smirnoff has been supplying quality vodka to consumers for over 100 years.
Or contact Linda Cox at
LCox@smirnoff.com or (863-551-2947)

CNBC has it on there web.

songbyrdsweet

I'm almost positive that this is a mistake, and here's why:

1. Alcohol contains 7 cals per gram, NO EXCEPTIONS.
2. Do a Google search for zero-calorie vodka and only one source comes up. It's the one that the original poster (icandoit?) copy and pasted from, and it's an error. Here's the link: http://www.squidoo.com/SmirnoffZeroCalorieVodka
3. Smirnoff does have zero CARB vodka (which it advertises comes in all flavors.)
4. The Smirnoff website has nothing about zero calorie vodka anywhere on it.

Sorry to burst the bubble.

I asked my bf about this because he's a biochemist, and he said that although alcohol has 7 calories, a calorie is a really general measurement. It's a measurement of heat, not a measure of nutrient value. One kilocalorie (the type we use to measure what's in food) is approximately the energy needed to raise one kg of water by one degree. That's all a calorie is...it's not really a measure of how much energy YOU will get from the food. Vodka can be calorie free if there are no additives, like beer has. Alcohol isn't actually a nutrient.

filergirl

Time to start drinking again!!! :laugh:

Actually, one of the benefits of eating clean and exercising is that I don't feel like drinking often at all. My mind is so much clearer now; I find that if I go out and have few drinks, my mood and energy levels are much lower the next day.

createsure

Icandoit:
Where on CNBC do they have anything on it? I just went on CNBC.com and did a search for "Smirnoff", and the story did not come up (although a few other smirnoff related news articles did) I then did a search for "Nicholas Sorenson", the purported CEO of Smirnoff, the one who supposedly appeared live on CNBC, and there was not a single search result (on CNBC mind you) for his name. At all. So... where did you see it on their website?

Songbyrdsweet:
I am also a biochemist (although still in training). I am well aware of what a calorie is, and that it is a measurement of energy. Ask your bf about it again, because if you are putting the energy in your body, your body is using it. If that isn't the case, why are we all counting our calories on here?

I'm still not 100% sure that this zero-calorie vodka doesn't exist, but I'm 99% at least. Until I find some sort of information on it OTHER than that one webpage (SQuidoo) I do not believe it. If it exists it would be somewhere else on the internet. Like the smirnoff website or any news site at all. Find one.

icandoit

Icandoit:
Where on CNBC do they have anything on it? I just went on CNBC.com and did a search for "Smirnoff", and the story did not come up (although a few other smirnoff related news articles did) I then did a search for "Nicholas Sorenson", the purported CEO of Smirnoff, the one who supposedly appeared live on CNBC, and there was not a single search result (on CNBC mind you) for his name. At all. So... where did you see it on their website?

Songbyrdsweet:
I am also a biochemist (although still in training). I am well aware of what a calorie is, and that it is a measurement of energy. Ask your bf about it again, because if you are putting the energy in your body, your body is using it. If that isn't the case, why are we all counting our calories on here?

I'm still not 100% sure that this zero-calorie vodka doesn't exist, but I'm 99% at least. Until I find some sort of information on it OTHER than that one webpage (SQuidoo) I do not believe it. If it exists it would be somewhere else on the internet. Like the smirnoff website or any news site at all. Find one.

CNBC.com november 9

We have a bar here in town that we buy the drinks from too.

createsure

By the way, I am so sure about this being wrong I actually called the 2 phone nubers listed on the "article" about the zero-cal vodka. One of them is disconnected and the other one rings about 5 times and then hangs up on you.

Not that this is proof of anything, but can anyone come up with ANYTHING concrete on this other than the original source? Anyone seen it in the stores?

ITS NOT REAL!!!

songbyrdsweet

Songbyrdsweet:
I am also a biochemist (although still in training). I am well aware of what a calorie is, and that it is a measurement of energy. Ask your bf about it again, because if you are putting the energy in your body, your body is using it. If that isn't the case, why are we all counting our calories on here?

I'm still not 100% sure that this zero-calorie vodka doesn't exist, but I'm 99% at least. Until I find some sort of information on it OTHER than that one webpage (SQuidoo) I do not believe it. If it exists it would be somewhere else on the internet. Like the smirnoff website or any news site at all. Find one.

Hehe...I can ask him again, but he'll say the same thing. Our calories come from nutritive sources--amino acids, carbohyrdates, triglycerides. They can be broken down into their respective constituent parts...various monosaccharides, fatty acids, etc.

Alcohols....think of them like fiber or sugar alcohols. Cellulose contains calories; you can burn plant stems and tree bark. However, we can't digest them so they are not nutritive. Same with sugar alcohols. The calories in beer come from additives like sugar, hops, barley, etc. Not from the alcohol.

createsure

Ok, please settle this for me icandoit.

I cannot find it on CNBC anywhere. Can you? Please post a link to it of you can. A search for "vodka" on Nov.9 revealed nothing. I've done multiple searches now, and I don't know what else to try.

Have you seen the bottle at the bar you go to? Is it possible that the bartender has been serving you the zero carb vodka when you ask for zero calorie? It would be an easy mistake to make...

I'm not trying to start a war over this or anything and I hope you aren't taking offense to my incessant questions. I sincerely apologize if I am wrong. I just want to get to the bottom of this.

Thanks!

songbyrdsweet

Ok, please settle this for me icandoit.

I cannot find it on CNBC anywhere. Can you? Please post a link to it of you can. A search for "vodka" on Nov.9 revealed nothing. I've done multiple searches now, and I don't know what else to try.

Have you seen the bottle at the bar you go to? Is it possible that the bartender has been serving you the zero carb vodka when you ask for zero calorie? It would be an easy mistake to make...

I'm not trying to start a war over this or anything and I hope you aren't taking offense to my incessant questions. I sincerely apologize if I am wrong. I just want to get to the bottom of this.

Thanks!

If it's zero-carb...it would technically be zero-calorie as well. Any nutritive calories in your alcohol comes from, like I said, additives. If it's not a very pure form of alcohol, there will be more in it (like the sugars and hops). Vodka is a really pure form...there's no way to drink pure ethanol without dying, but they probably brought it as close as possible. There might be .5 calories per serving, but by law they can say it's zero calorie.

amandagreen1980

Hi
I did a search and found this:

http://www.jumpcut.com/view/?id=8842A44C8C2011DCBE2A000423CF381C

Its not proof, but thought i'd add it to the mix! :happy:

createsure

Lipids (fat, etc.) contains 9 calories per gram. ALWAYS.
Carbohydrates and protein contain 4 calories per gram each. ALWAYS.
Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram. ALWAYS.

This is common knowledge (in the nutrition world), and is a hard fact. It is not disputed. Alcohol, although containing no nutritional value, does contain calories (energy) that your body absorbs. There's no two ways about it.

If you don't believe me, look it up. I'm a chemistry/biology major and have gotten A's in 2 nutrition classes, 2 chemistry classes, biology, etc. Not that that means I can't be wrong, but just so you know I'm not just spouting off something I read on Wikipedia. This is knowledge I have obtained from a university. That's why I questioned it in the first place: alcohol always contains 7 kcals per gram. I didn't learn the calorie stuff in chemistry though, it was in the nutrition classes. Perhaps your boyfriend, although well versed in the chemistry of calories, etc, doesn't know specifically about ALCOHOL and how the calories in it affect the body? Ask him for me if you can... we need to find the truth here! LOL

You said our calories come from only nutritive sources. This is true, WITH THE EXCEPTION of alcohol.

I don't even drink vodka, so it doesn't matter to me. I just saw something that looks wrong, and I wanted to make sure people on here don't start drinking no carb vodka thinking its no calorie.

songbyrdsweet

Lipids (fat, etc.) contains 9 calories per gram. ALWAYS.
Carbohydrates and protein contain 4 calories per gram each. ALWAYS.
Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram. ALWAYS.

This is common knowledge (in the nutrition world), and is a hard fact. It is not disputed. Alcohol, although containing no nutritional value, does contain calories (energy) that your body absorbs. There's no two ways about it.

If you don't believe me, look it up. I'm a chemistry/biology major and have gotten A's in 2 nutrition classes, 2 chemistry classes, biology, etc. Not that that means I can't be wrong, but just so you know I'm not just spouting off something I read on Wikipedia. This is knowledge I have obtained from a university. That's why I questioned it in the first place: alcohol always contains 7 kcals per gram. I didn't learn the calorie stuff in chemistry though, it was in the nutrition classes. Perhaps your boyfriend, although well versed in the chemistry of calories, etc, doesn't know specifically about ALCOHOL and how the calories in it affect the body? Ask him for me if you can... we need to find the truth here! LOL

You said our calories come from only nutritive sources. This is true, WITH THE EXCEPTION of alcohol.

I don't even drink vodka, so it doesn't matter to me. I just saw something that looks wrong, and I wanted to make sure people on here don't start drinking no carb vodka thinking its no calorie.

I know, I know. I know all about calories in nutrients. If you want to get into that, I'm an Exercise, Sport, and Health Ed Major and pulled a 4.0 this semester for a 3.7 total, so I know quite a bit about nutrition and metabolism. I'm sure he knows quite a lot since he's a 5th year Senior and about to graduate. I should also mention that Biochemistry is its OWN field, and a biology/chemistry major is entirely different.

I'm not sure how else to explain it. Not everything with calories is nutritive to the human body. I tried with the cellulose example. Sorry, I guess we'll just have to disagree.

createsure

https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/nscime2/www/web410revised/index_files/what.htm

This site also mentions the zero-calorie vodka.

I still can't understand how they make it zero calories unless its non alcoholic.

If anyone ever finds out more about it, please post it!

Thanks,

Createsure

icandoit

No worries. I have emailed the company to have the info sent. I will send you the info.
look under video it will be on the right side if the screen. Read the small print. It is not labeled Smirnoff

songbyrdsweet

https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/nscime2/www/web410revised/index_files/what.htm

This site also mentions the zero-calorie vodka.

I still can't understand how they make it zero calories unless its non alcoholic.

If anyone ever finds out more about it, please post it!

Thanks,

Createsure

Here is a pdf on ethanol metabolism.

www.rsoa.org/lectures/2_01/2_01.pdf

And here is a review on the same thing.

http://pharmrev.aspetjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/24/1/67

createsure

Okay, okay...

I reluctantly put the stuff about my schooling in my last post, only so you would know I'm not a total idiot just spouting off. It doesn't matter what your education background is really, although yours is quite impressive. I concede that I am quite possibly wrong. I just want to know how they do it, since it goes against everything I've learned regarding alcohols calorie content.

icandoit

Okay, okay...

I reluctantly put the stuff about my schooling in my last post, only so you would know I'm not a total idiot just spouting off. It doesn't matter what your education background is really, although yours is quite impressive. I concede that I am quite possibly wrong. I just want to know how they do it, since it goes against everything I've learned regarding alcohols calorie content.

I am sending another message to the company asking them how it is possible.:flowerforyou:

songbyrdsweet

Okay, okay...

I reluctantly put the stuff about my schooling in my last post, only so you would know I'm not a total idiot just spouting off. It doesn't matter what your education background is really, although yours is quite impressive. I concede that I am quite possibly wrong. I just want to know how they do it, since it goes against everything I've learned regarding alcohols calorie content.

Well it's not going against it. I just think you have the wrong idea of what a calorie is. It's not a measure of potential nutrient value. It is just a measure of energy. That alcohol has the power to raise 7kgs of water by 7 degrees C. That's all it is. It doesn't mean that it can do anything for us as humans. Ethanol can power a vehicle, but if we drank it...we'd die.:bigsmile: Alcohol DOES have those calories, but they are not usable in any of our metabolic pathways.

flachix

song/ican do it
Ok, I am having touble with the math. 4 calories per gram for carbs and protein. yep, 9 for fat, got it.
but 7 calories per gram for alcohol doesn't make sense. there are 28 grams in an ounce. 28x7= 197 an ounce. and that is very high. The body may process it that high but the counters (even on this site) all say one ounce is 65-80. I have always been trained to count it as a calorie a proof. which would be 80 calories for 80 proof of any alcohol. which makes it approx 3 calories per gram. maybe 7 is the calorie burn rate? at whatever rate, its an empty calorie and you should not be eating or drinking it. period. for now

songbyrdsweet

song/ican do it
Ok, I am having touble with the math. 4 calories per gram for carbs and protein. yep, 9 for fat, got it.
but 7 calories per gram for alcohol doesn't make sense. there are 28 grams in an ounce. 28x7= 197 an ounce. and that is very high. The body may process it that high but the counters (even on this site) all say one ounce is 65-80. I have always been trained to count it as a calorie a proof. which would be 80 calories for 80 proof of any alcohol. which makes it approx 3 calories per gram. maybe 7 is the calorie burn rate? at whatever rate, its an empty calorie and you should not be eating or drinking it. period. for now

It depends on the alcohol.
Something like beer has filler/additives...sugars, barley, hops.
The purer the alcohol, the fewer nutritive calories.
Everclear (which isn't legal here in VA), is the purest form you can get, so it would be pretty much calorie-free.
The alcohol itsself (ethanol) has no nutritive calories. It's just the other 'stuff' used in production that doesn't get filtered out that adds caloric value.

createsure

song/ican do it
Ok, I am having touble with the math. 4 calories per gram for carbs and protein. yep, 9 for fat, got it.
but 7 calories per gram for alcohol doesn't make sense. there are 28 grams in an ounce. 28x7= 197 an ounce. and that is very high. The body may process it that high but the counters (even on this site) all say one ounce is 65-80. I have always been trained to count it as a calorie a proof. which would be 80 calories for 80 proof of any alcohol. which makes it approx 3 calories per gram. maybe 7 is the calorie burn rate? at whatever rate, its an empty calorie and you should not be eating or drinking it. period. for now

7 cals per gram is for pure alcohol. An 80 proof drink is only 40% alcohol. 40% of 7 is approx. 3.

createsure

Here’some info I got from the source you sent me songbird:

On page 9 it says that ~90% of ethanol consumed is oxidized. Oxidized means calories burned.

Here’s some actual quotes from the source you posted:

On page 10:
“Ethanol is a nutrient and has caloric value (about 7 kcalories per gram; carbohydrates and protein produce 4 kcal per gram, while fat produces 9 kcal). However, unlike carbohydrates, (glycogen in liver and muscle) and fat (triglycerides in adipose tissues and liver) which can be stored and utilized in time of need e.g. fasting, ethanol is not stored and remains in body water until eliminated.
Whereas metabolism of the major nutrients is under hormonal control, e.g Insulin/glucagon, leptin, catecholamine, thyroid hormones, generally, there is little
hormonal regulation to pace the rate of ethanol elimination. In view of these considerations, there is a major burden on the liver to oxidize ethanol in order to remove
this agent from the body.”

“It is important to note that alcohol-derived calories are produced at
the expense of the metabolism of normal nutrients since ethanol will be oxidized
preferentially over other nutrients.”


Perhaps Smirnoff is adding an alcohol aversive drug to cancel the oxidization of ethanol in the body:


On page 39:
“The basis of action for certain alcohol-aversive drugs such as disulfiram (Antabuse) or
cyanamide is to inhibit ALDH, and therefore ethanol oxidation. The resulting
accumulation of acetaldehyde causes a variety of unpleasant effects such as nausea,
sweating, vomiting, and increased heart rate, if ethanol is consumed with these drugs.”

songbyrdsweet

Here’some info I got from the source you sent me songbird:

On page 9 it says that ~90% of ethanol consumed is oxidized. Oxidized means calories burned.

Here’s some actual quotes from the source you posted:

On page 10:
“Ethanol is a nutrient and has caloric value (about 7 kcalories per gram; carbohydrates and protein produce 4 kcal per gram, while fat produces 9 kcal). However, unlike carbohydrates, (glycogen in liver and muscle) and fat (triglycerides in adipose tissues and liver) which can be stored and utilized in time of need e.g. fasting, ethanol is not stored and remains in body water until eliminated.
Whereas metabolism of the major nutrients is under hormonal control, e.g Insulin/glucagon, leptin, catecholamine, thyroid hormones, generally, there is little
hormonal regulation to pace the rate of ethanol elimination. In view of these considerations, there is a major burden on the liver to oxidize ethanol in order to remove
this agent from the body.”

“It is important to note that alcohol-derived calories are produced at
the expense of the metabolism of normal nutrients since ethanol will be oxidized
preferentially over other nutrients.”


Perhaps Smirnoff is adding an alcohol aversive drug to cancel the oxidization of ethanol in the body:


On page 39:
“The basis of action for certain alcohol-aversive drugs such as disulfiram (Antabuse) or
cyanamide is to inhibit ALDH, and therefore ethanol oxidation. The resulting
accumulation of acetaldehyde causes a variety of unpleasant effects such as nausea,
sweating, vomiting, and increased heart rate, if ethanol is consumed with these drugs.”

How does oxidizing mean calories are getting burnt? He says alcohol dehydrogenase catalyses the eventual conversion of ethanol to acetate in the liver. Oxidation is just taking some constituent of the molecule away (in this case a hydrogen), it doesn't mean that we use it for calories.
The article is just stating that, since alcohol metabolism isn't regulated by hormones, the liver has to oxidize the ethanol as quickly as possible so it'll exit the body so normal metabolic functions can take place again. Acetate can be converted to fat IN the liver, and create the fatty deposits, or cirrhosis.

icandoit

Ok-I just got this from Smirnoff themselves-
January 13, 2008

Dear Consumer,

Thank you for contacting Smirnoff regarding nutritional information.
Unfortunately we no longer have a zero calorie vodka available but below
you
will find the nutritional information for all of our Smirnoff vodka's.

Smirnoff Vodka (Blue Label)
Serving Size: 1.5oz
% ABV: 50
Calories /serving: 121
Carbohydrates (g/serving): 0
Protein (g/serving): 0
Fat (g/serving): 0

Smirnoff Vodka (Silver Label)
Serving Size: 1.5oz
% ABV: 45.2
Calories /serving: 110
Carbohydrates (g/serving): 0
Protein (g/serving): 0
Fat (g/serving): 0

Smirnoff Vodka (Red Label)
Serving Size: 1.5oz
% ABV: 40
Calories /serving: 97
Carbohydrates (g/serving): 0
Protein (g/serving): 0
Fat (g/serving): 0

Smirnoff Black Cherry Twist
Serving Size: 1.5oz
% ABV: 35
Calories /serving: 95
Carbohydrates (g/serving): 2
Protein (g/serving): 0
Fat (g/serving): 0

Smirnoff Citrus Twist
Serving Size: 1.5oz
% ABV: 35
Calories /serving: 87
Carbohydrates (g/serving): 0
Protein (g/serving): 0
Fat (g/serving): 0

Smirnoff Vanilla Twist
Serving Size: 1.5oz
% ABV: 35
Calories /serving: 93
Carbohydrates (g/serving): 2
Protein (g/serving): 0
Fat (g/serving): 0

Smirnoff Orange Twist
Serving Size: 1.5oz
% ABV: 35
Calories /serving: 91
Carbohydrates (g/serving): 1
Protein (g/serving): 0
Fat (g/serving): 0

Smirnoff Green Apple Twist
Serving Size: 1.5oz
% ABV: 35
Calories /serving: 97
Carbohydrates (g/serving): 3
Protein (g/serving): 0
Fat (g/serving): 0

Smirnoff Cranberry Twist
Serving Size: 1.5oz
% ABV: 35
Calories /serving: 96
Carbohydrates (g/serving): 3
Protein (g/serving): 0
Fat (g/serving): 0

Smirnoff Lime Twist
Serving Size: 1.5oz
% ABV: 35
Calories /serving: 91
Carbohydrates (g/serving): 1
Protein (g/serving): 0
Fat (g/serving): 0

Smirnoff Raspberry Twist
Serving Size: 1.5oz
% ABV: 35
Calories /serving: 93
Carbohydrates (g/serving): 2
Protein (g/serving): 0
Fat (g/serving): 0

Smirnoff Watermelon Twist
Serving Size: 1.5oz
% ABV: 35
Calories /serving: 95
Carbohydrates (g/serving): 3
Protein (g/serving): 0
Fat (g/serving): 0

Smirnoff Strawberry Twist
Serving Size: 1.5oz
% ABV: 35
Calories /serving: 97
Carbohydrates (g/serving): 3
Protein (g/serving): 0
Fat (g/serving): 0

Once again, thank you for contacting Smirnoff. We look forward to
serving
you in the future!

Sincerely,

Monica D
Smirnoff Consumer Representative


So they did and they are no longer making it. I am waiting to hear how they made it and I just emailed them to see why they are no longer carring it.


I forward the viedo to my email-here it is-

Water Alcohol = Money Smirnoff is launching a new product, a combination of spring water and alcohol, and CNBC's Tyler Mathisen has the story. http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video

lilspitfire

All this vodka talk, I believe it's time for a tall Cape Cod w/ a thin slice of lime ladies. Stoli of course w/ocean spray cranberry. :drinker: To the Girls !!!

lilspitfire

Also, ladies what is the huge problem here. It seems createsur, you don't like the posting why get all up tight. Go to the next ]ost and get over it. Too much negative effort spent on what. Come on now, us gals gotta stick together. Like I said Cape Cod time, icandoit, thanks I'm already mixin' mine - thanx !!!

amandastamey

Wow....that was really intense and too much like work, so in the end, there was a no cal vodka but now there isnt? :huh: