For students watching their diets, light and low-carb alcoholic beverages may not be the answer to trimming that beer belly.

In fact, many people drinking these substances take in more calories because they do not feel as guilty, said Kristine Clark, director of sports and nutrition and assistant professor of nutrition.

"Most folks who use these products drink more of them, not less," Clark said.

Alison Popowicz (sophomore-marketing) said she and a friend bought two six-packs of light beer, and while they disliked the flavor, they wanted to finish drinking the packs having paid extra money for them.

"It was gross," Popowicz said. "It seemed like seltzer water."

Despite the taste, she said she still went overboard with the drinking because the lower number of calories made her feel less guilty.

Clark said light beer can be a better option, but only if students drink the same amount as they would regular beer.

"If you do want to lose weight and you typically drink about four to seven regular beers, drinking two light beers will save you quite a few calories -- if you really do drink less," she said.

However, even light alcohol is what is known to nutritionists as a preferential source. This means the body uses it before foods, increasing the chance that the fat in foods will be stored as fat cells in the body, Clark said.

"When students drink, they also tend to eat ... loads of calories from high-fat foods like burgers, pizza and fries," she said. "These calories have nowhere to go but into storage as adipose tissue," or fat cells.

She added that alcohol should never be an option for dieters because it is a non-nutritive source of energy and contains empty calories. "Alcohol is still alcohol, even if the calories and carbohydrates are lower," Clark said.

Paul Pletcher, owner of Pletcher's Beer Distributor, 330 W. Aaron Drive, said light beer has been a growing category in the beer industry since the introduction of Miller Lite in the mid-1970s.

He said light beers are not as popular as they were years ago, but that he has witnessed a recent resurgence in sales.

"I would not drink one, because it's paying more for less" alcohol, Pletcher added.

Kathryn Stubanas (junior-education) said she tried light beer only because it was available and other people were drinking it.

"It has less calories, but it's still not healthy," Stubanas added.

Popowicz said she creates her own light alcoholic beverages by mixing liquor with diet fruity drinks, like Snapple, to avoid calories and retain the taste.

Anthony Sapia, owner of Tony's Big Easy, 129 S. Pugh St., said low-carb beer is no longer popular, which he attributes to its lack of appeal among young, active people.

"When the Atkins diet first came out and was in its peak two summers ago, we received many calls asking for specific beers," Sapia said. "But it seemed to fade as quick as the trend started."

Clark said low-carb diets are a myth because carbohydrates are not the only nutrients that can be stored as fat. People who adhere to these diets may miss out on important carbohydrate sources, like grains and fruits, she added.

Dorothy Blair, assistant professor of nutrition, said it is better not to drink beer when dieting because it adds unnecessary calories and undermines the diet.

"If you're under the influence of alcohol, you're hardly going to have much restraint," Blair said.