Is Alcohol good when you have diabetes?

Written by Dr Harold Gunatillake-Health writer

Alcohol is made from fermentation of starch, sugar and yeast and those who have diabetes, need to be careful about drinking alcohol, because it can affect blood sugar levels and pose a health risk.

For non-diabetics a glass of alcohol consumption occasionally is no problem. The liver can handle a drink per hour. The skin, kidneys and the lungs excrete the rest.

A very fit person can tolerate more alcohol than an unfit person. So, overall health plays a big role in how one responds to alcohol, whether one is a diabetic or not.

Alcohol seems to interfere with the effectiveness of insulin that helps to courier sugar to the fat cells and the liver to control the blood sugar level. Further liver may interfere with sugar absorption when the person suffers from alcohol liver disease and may have intolerance to glucose or diabetes.

Alcohol consumption in moderation may cause the sugar level in blood to rise: excess alcohol consumption seems to lower the blood sugar. Sometimes the drop can go into dangerous levels, especially among type 1 diabetes.

Symptoms of low sugar can appear suddenly and one should be prepared for it eating some food before drinking alcohol is advised…

People with diabetes should avoid cocktails mixed with sugar.

The American Diabetes Association recommends the following quantities of alcohol for the people having diabetes;

Women should restrict to one drink per day and men can have two drinks per day.
One should not consume alcohol on an empty stomach or when the blood sugar is low.
The alcoholic drink should be diluted with water or soda and sip it slowly.

A regular beer has 12.64 grams of sugar and strong beer has only 0.96grams of sugar. Avoid drinking beer for it has high levels of carbs.

Red wine 5.6 Oz serving has 3.84gram of carbohydrates and 0.91 grams of sugar. White wine has more sugar -1.1 grams

Spirits have very little carbohydrates and sugar. Vodka, Gin and Rum have no carbs or sugar.
Cocktails like Pina colada has 31.95 grams of carbs and 31.49 grams of sugar
What all this means is that people with diabetes can enjoy a glass of red wine, or a strong spirit and avoid other drinks.
Good news for those coming from families having diabetes is that a recent study has found moderate drinkers had a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes when compared to teetotallers.
Alcohol stimulates your appetite and you may over-eat and raise your blood sugar levels. Regular drinking may not be able to control your sugar with medication. Alcohol have too much of calories and tend to put on weight, not satisfactory for people having diabetes.

Alcohol can interfere with diabetic medication, including insulin therapy.

Alcohol increases the blood triglycerides a precursor to heart disease and also increase blood pressure.

Don’t be disappointed after reading this article; you still can enjoy a drink having low carbs and sugar, just two for men and one for women, daily.

Drink slowly with meals and check with your doctor how medication could affect your diabetes.
Ref: to article written by Brian Wu-MNT