Effects of alcohol on diabetes

If you have diabetes, drinking alcohol can increase or decrease blood sugar levels. Therefore you should only drink alcohol from time to time and should only drink when diabetes and blood sugar levels are already well controlled.

Here are some of the effects that alcohol can have on diabetics:

• Beer and sweet wine contain carbohydrates so, if used, will increase blood sugar levels.
• Alcohol stimulates appetite leading to diabetics overeating and affecting blood sugar control.
• Alcoholic beverages usually have a lot of calories, which makes it more difficult to lose weight.
• Alcohol can also affect one's ability to judge or be clear, causing patients to make inaccurate healthy food choices for diabetics
• Alcohol coordinates with oral diabetes medications or insulin to increase the effects of these drugs causing excessive hypothlycemia
• Alcohol increases the amount of mesthcera
• Alcohol increases blood pressure
• Alcohol causes flushing, nausea, increased heart rate and slow speaking
• Alcohol can confuse or mask symptoms of low blood glucose.

Although studies show that drinking moderate amounts of alcohol can reduce the risk of diabetes, if you use alcohol a lot it can increase your risk of diabetes. Moderate alcohol use is defined as one glass per day for women of all ages and men over 65 and up to two glasses per day for men aged 65 and under.

This is because excessive alcohol use can cause chronic pancreatitis, causing the pancreas to reduce its ability to secrete insulin to control blood sugar levels and eventually lead to type II diabetes.

People living with diabetes should not drink alcohol or, if so, follow the following guidelines:

• Do not drink more than two glasses of wine in a day if you are a man, or one if you are a woman. (For example, a glass of alcoholic beverage = 142ml of wine or 43ml of liquor or 340ml of beer).
• Drink only with food. Try to drink together with meals or eat before drinking to reduce the risk of hypoth glucose, therefore, when eating you need to choose foods that contain carbohydrates
• Slow drinking
• Avoid beverages that are mixed with multiple beverages together because they have sugar, sweet wine or juices
• Mix alcohol with water, soda or diet soft drinks
• Always wear medical bracelets to let others know that you have diabetes to limit your inviting you to drink alcohol. In case of emergency, the medical staff will immediately know you have diabetes to carry out timely and accurate treatment.
• Blood glucose test: Alcohol can cause your blood sugar levels to drop, even after 24 hours of drinking. Check blood glucose before bedtime and make sure blood glucose is within a safe range of 100-140mg/dL. If blood sugar levels are low, follow your doctor's instructions or eat/drink extra calories before bedtime even though it's not a reasonable diet, but it will help you avoid hypoth glucose levels during sleep.

At Share99 International Health Hub, we always implement a screening package for diabetes mellitus, dysle fat disorders to help detect pre-diabetes early, accurately categoric the type of diabetes, build nutrition, monitor and minimize the risks and complications caused by diabetes.

To register for examination and treatment at Share99 International Health Hub, you can contact Share99 Health System nationwide, or register for an online examination HERE

Source: webmd.com, mayoclinic.org

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