Diabetes & Alcohol UMass Diabetes Center of Excellence

We further found that the risk of T2DM decreased as the number of years of abstinence increases and no association between alcohol abstinence and T2DM was found after more than 10 years of abstinence in men. No association between abstinence duration and T2DM was found among women. Detailed information about sociodemographic characteristics , lifestyle factors , and personal history of chronic diseases was collected through face-to-face interviews with standardized questionnaires . The physical activity was assessed using International Physical Activity Questionnaire . Data on diet intake via a validated Food Frequency Questionnaire .

The height and weight of participants were measured twice, and the average readings were computed to analyze. Body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) was calculated as weight divided the square of height .

Alcohol and hypoglycemia

Per capita alcohol consumption in China rose from 4.1 l in 2005 to 7.1 l in 2010, which was higher than the world average . Compared to other countries, China has a different demographic profile and a specific “drinking culture”. Alcohol consumption is very common during important festivals, business occasions, ceremonies, and special events in China. The Survey on the Health and Nutrition Status of the Chinese Population diabetes and alcohol showed that the alcohol consumption rate in China in the past year was about 34% . Moreover, alcohol consumption is a normal part of the daily diet, especially in rural areas of China. In general, diabetes experts recommend that most PWDs can drink alcohol in moderation without compromising their health, blood glucose control, or safety. In fact, there may be a few health benefits of regular moderate alcohol intake.

Let them know where you have your supplies, how to use them, and who to call and what to do in case of an emergency.” Remember, never drive if you have been drinking. Alcoholic drinks can have as much added sugar as some desserts, so think about what kinds of drinks you are having. “It’s best not to choose alcohol mixed with punches or soft drink mixers, such as Pepsi, Sprite, or Coke, daiquiris, margaritas, or sweetened liquors like Kahlua or Bailey’s Irish Cream,” said Swift. Regular beer and sweet wines are also higher in carbohydrates. “These drinks not only add carbohydrate, but excess calories from the added sugars,” she said. When mixing alcohol and diabetes, a little extra attention to preventative measures can make all the difference between a safe experience and one that requires medical attention. Given the risks, some providers do recommend abstinence from alcohol with a patient has diabetes.

Guidelines When Drinking Alcohol

Drink alcohol with a meal or with a carbohydrate-rich snack to maintain normal blood sugar levels. Because of the effects alcohol can have on blood sugar control and other aspects of the disease, you face certain risks by drinking alcohol if you have type 2 diabetes that otherwise healthy people may not. First of all, alcohol impacts the liver in doing its job of regulating blood sugar. Because diabetes makes it difficult for your body to regulate blood sugar levels, you should be more careful than most when consuming alcohol. However, as long as your diabetes is in good control and you monitor alcohol’s effects on your blood sugar, moderate consumption should be safe. Here is expert advice on drinking alcohol with diabetes, plus up-to-date advice about how to fit alcohol into your healthy eating plan. Plus find out how many calories a margarita has, if a glass of wine will spike blood sugar, if a beer will derail your diabetes meal plan and more.

• However, Lin and colleagues reported that the LDL cholesterol in alcoholics exhibits altered biological functions and may more readily cause cardiovascular disease.
• The effects of alcohol can make it harder for you to detect symptoms of a low blood sugar.
• In addition, we found that 25.96% started drinking before the age of 18 and the lowest age of starting to drink was 3.
• Neuropathy, in addition to other factors (e.g., vascular disease in the penis or altered hormone levels), also may contribute to impotence, which is a common and troublesome complication in diabetic men.

In rare cases, however, the condition also may affect people with type 2 diabetes. https://ecosoberhouse.com/ In a milder form, ketoacidosis may even occur in people who are fasting.

Alcohol interacts with diabetes medications.

Heavy drinking (i.e., more than 140 grams of pure alcohol, or approximately 12 standard drinks, per day) can cause alcohol-induced hypertriglyceridemia in both diabetics and nondiabetics (Chait et al. 1972). In fact, from a practical standpoint, heavy drinking should be considered as a possible contributing factor in all patients with hypertriglyceridemia. Abstinence from alcohol generally leads to normalization of the triglyceride levels, unless the person has an underlying genetic predisposition for hypertriglyceridemia. Your liver releases glucose into the blood stream as needed to help keep blood sugar at normal levels.

Your healthcare provider will tell you how much alcohol is safe for you to drink. Depending on your health condition, that may mean no alcohol at all. In some cases women with diabetes may have no more than one alcoholic beverage a day. Another potential pitfall of drinking alcohol is that if you happen to have hypoglycemia while you are drinking, your symptoms can make it seem that you’ve had too much to drink. The danger of this is that others around you may not realize that your blood sugar is low and that you need assistance. “The majority of alcohol’s beneficial effect is on improving HDL cholesterol,” says Alan Graber, M.D., Ph.D., FACE, a past president of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists . Studies suggest that one to two alcoholic drinks a day increases HDL an average of 12 percent.

Heart-Healthy Benefits of Alcohol

If a person chooses to drink, they should always eat at the same time and include carbohydrates, such as fruits, vegetables, or grains, in their meal. More specifically, “Alcohol gets broken down by your liver. The liver is also in charge of making sugar when your blood sugar levels are low, by converting stored glycogen into glucose, and releasing that glucose into your bloodstream. When you drink, your liver is busy processing the alcohol and has a hard time producing glucose,” she said. Your body processes alcohol differently than most foods and beverages. And if you have type 2 diabetes, drinking alcohol may have some benefits—such as lowering glucose levels in the blood—and some real risks, like driving glucose levels down too low. Normally, the liver releases glucose to maintain blood sugar levels.

• One of the ways to compensate for this is to adjust your basal rate while drinking.
• Interestingly, the risk of retinopathy was independent of the men’s ability to control their blood sugar, suggesting that alcohol may directly damage the eyes or related structures.
• Elevated levels of those compounds can cause nausea, vomiting, impaired mental functioning, coma, and even death.
• Alcohol is absorbed directly into the bloodstream from the stomach or the small intestine, carried through the body, and delivered to the liver.

DiaTribe provides free cutting-edge diabetes insights and actionable tips for people with diabetes. Having to consider your child’s diabetes management on top of your own self-care can be a huge challenge to maintaining good mental health. • Alcoholic drinks are usually high in calories, making it difficult to lose excess weight. Also discuss any medications you are taking and how that might impact the effects of alcohol.