Alcohol and Diabetes
If you’re living with diabetes, you may have questions about how alcohol affects your blood sugar levels. Here are some facts to help you make informed decisions about drinking alcohol.
What Is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a condition that causes blood sugar levels to become too high. There are two types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition in which the body mistakenly attacks the cells that produce insulin. As a result, the body can no longer produce insulin, and people with type 1 diabetes must take insulin injections to control their blood sugar levels.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes. It occurs when the body can no longer use insulin effectively to control blood sugar levels. Many people with type 2 diabetes can manage their condition by making lifestyle changes, such as eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly. However, some people may also need to take medication to control their blood sugar levels.
What is alcohol?
Alcohol is a substance found in beer, wine, and liquor that brings about changes in mood and behavior.
How Does Alcohol Affect Blood Sugar?
While drinking too much of any type of alcohol can raise your blood sugar, research has shown that some types of alcoholic beverages may have a more powerful effect on your blood sugar levels than others. This is especially true if you drink on an empty stomach – for example, before or during a meal.
Here’s how the main types of alcoholic beverages stack up:
- Beer – Beer has carbohydrates and can affect blood sugar. The amount is relatively small, though. For most beers, the impact on blood sugar will be minimal.
- Wine – Red wine has more carbs than white wine. A 5-ounce serving of red or white wine typically has about the same effect on blood sugar as 1/2 to 3/4 cup of soda.
- Hard liquor – This type of alcohol is nearly carb-free so it won’t affect your blood sugar levels very much. However, drinking a lot at once may temporarily raise your blood sugar levels.
What Should I Do?
If you have type 1 diabetes, don’t drink alcohol unless you are working closely with a health care team familiar with your condition. Even if you choose not to drink, make sure to let your team know the reasons why so they can help you stick to your treatment plan.
Alcohol, in moderation, maybe part of a healthy diet if you have type 2 diabetes. Women should not drink more than one alcoholic beverage per day, whereas men can drink up to two alcoholic beverages a day. Remember to factor alcohol into your blood sugar management plan and always drink with food. If you are not sure what level of alcohol consumption is best for you, consult your doctor.
What Are the Risks of Drinking Alcohol with Diabetes?
The following are signs that your diabetes may be affected by drinking too much alcohol:
- Frequent thirst. The body tries to eliminate the extra sugar in the blood by increasing urine production. This can lead to dehydration, which makes you thirsty.
- Increased urination. Along with thirst, drinking too much alcohol can cause you to need to urinate more often.
- Fatigue. Alcohol can make you tired and interfere with your sleep, making you feel more tired than usual.
- Drowsiness and dizziness. Alcohol can slow down your reaction time and cause you to feel drowsy or lightheaded after drinking even a small amount of alcohol.
- Reduced coordination. Drinking too much can cause clumsiness and affect balance, which is particularly risky for people with diabetes taking medication to lower their blood sugar.
- Mood changes. Excessive alcohol use can negatively affect your mood, make you irritable, or cause depression. Alcohol is also a sedative and can change how you think and react to things.
- Nausea or vomiting. Drinking too much may upset your stomach and lead you to vomit.
- Unexplained weight loss. Suppose you are losing weight and don’t know why alcohol could be the culprit. Excessive drinking can suppress the appetite and cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, leading to weight loss.
- Flushing of the face or neck. Alcohol consumption can cause the face to become flushed and red, even if you are not exerting yourself. This is known as “flushing” or “Asian glow,” and it may be a sign that your body cannot correctly process alcohol due to a deficiency of an enzyme called acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH).
- Sweating. Excessive sweating can signify that your body is trying to get rid of toxins from too much alcohol.
- Cold, pale skin. Alcohol consumption can cause the body to lose heat and lower blood sugar levels, so you may feel cold and have cold hands and feet if you’ve been drinking.
- Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Drinking too much is one of the potential causes of low blood sugar in diabetes, especially if you drink on an empty stomach or at inappropriate times.
What You Should Know About Diabetic Ketoacidosis (dka)
DKA is a severe condition when your body doesn’t have enough insulin to use sugar from carbohydrates. It can develop if you don’t take care of your diabetes by getting regular blood sugar checks, eating healthy, and getting enough exercise. If you notice the signs of DKA – which include confusion, drowsiness, nausea or vomiting, trouble breathing, stomach pain with nausea or vomiting, sweet-smelling breath (a fruity odor), and rapid breathing – call 911 right away because this condition can lead to coma and even death if left untreated.
DKA can also occur if you drink alcohol on an empty stomach. When your body doesn’t have any food to use for energy, it starts to break down fat cells instead. This process creates ketones, which can build up in the blood and cause DKA.
If you have diabetes and are pregnant, it’s best to avoid alcohol altogether. When a woman drinks during pregnancy, it can cause miscarriage or damage the baby, including stunted growth and facial deformities.
If you have diabetes and are planning on becoming pregnant or are taking steps toward getting pregnant, talk with your doctor about how much alcohol is safe for you to drink.
How Does Alcohol Affect Blood Sugar Levels and The Body?
People with diabetes should be cautious about how much alcohol they drink, as excessive alcohol consumption can cause blood sugar levels to drop dangerously low. This is known as hypoglycemia, and it can have severe consequences if not treated.
Alcohol can also interfere with the way your body processes insulin, which can lead to blood sugar spikes. If you drink alcohol and then eat a meal that contains carbohydrates, your blood sugar levels may rise to dangerously high levels. This is known as hyperglycemia.
Both hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia can cause a range of unpleasant symptoms, such as sweating, shakiness, confusion, headache, blurred vision, and dizziness. In extreme cases, they can lead to seizures, coma, and even death.
It’s important to remember that alcohol is a toxin, and your body has to work hard to process it. When you drink alcohol, your liver has to work overtime to break it down and remove the toxins. This can interfere with the way your body processes insulin and blood sugar – which means that the insulin you already have in your body may not work as well, or it could cause more to be released into the bloodstream.
Tips to stay healthy while still enjoying a drink or two (or three)
If you choose to drink, make sure you’re always prepared and know how to prevent or treat blood sugar highs and lows. Here are a few steps you can take:
- Know your limits. Women should have up to one standard-size drink per day if they’re not taking insulin (one drink is approximately 5 oz of wine or 150ml,1 ounce = 30ml, 12 ounces of beer, or 1½ oz of hard liquor). Men should have up to two drinks per day if they’re not taking insulin (two drinks are approximately an 8-oz glass of wine, two 12-oz bottles of beer, or 2½ oz of hard liquor).
- Always carry an emergency diabetes supply kit. This way, you’ll be prepared if your blood sugar drops too low.
- Eat before you drink. Make sure to have a healthy snack or meal before you start drinking. This will help prevent blood sugar lows later on.
- Drink slowly and alternate with water or non-alcoholic drinks. Drinking too much alcohol too quickly can cause blood sugar levels to drop dangerously low.
- Make sure you eat a balanced meal the next day. Your blood sugar levels may be higher or lower than usual when you drink alcohol. A balanced breakfast or lunch can help even things out.
- Know the symptoms of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia and how to treat them.
- If you think your blood sugar levels are dropping too low, eat a quick source of carbohydrates. This could be half of a soda cracker or five jellybeans. If your blood sugar rises too high, open up one of your emergency glucose tablets and place it under your tongue. The fast-acting glucose will help you feel better quickly.
- In moderation, enjoy alcohol. Moderation means one or two drinks per day, not three or four.
- Limit your drinking to special occasions, holidays, and celebrations. Alcohol can interfere with daily life if you drink too much too often, so it’s best to space out your drinks for a week or month.
- If you have diabetes, never drink and drive. Make sure the sober adult in your group is responsible for getting everyone back home safely.
- Alcohol can affect blood sugar levels even when you take your medication perfectly. Check with your doctor before making changes to your treatment plan or lifestyle to learn how alcohol may affect your diabetes.
Ways to Make Your Favorite Drinks Healthier for You
There are a few ways to make your favorite drinks healthier for you. You can choose light beers or wines, mix cocktails with club soda instead of regular soda, or drink vodka or gin with diet tonic water. If you like Bloody Marys, try using a vegetable-based juice like V8 as the mixer instead of tomato juice. You can also add a citrus twist to make your drink look more exciting and flavorful. And when it comes to choosing mixers, soda or juice can add extra calories, so try to cut back on these ingredients.
Here’s an example:
- One pint of beer has about 20 grams of carbohydrates, and one-shot (1.5 ounces) of distilled spirits has about zero grams.
- A Bloody Mary made with vodka and tomato juice has about 190 calories, while a Virgin Mary made without vodka has about 60 calories.
- Gin and diet tonic water have about 96 calories per drink, compared to regular tonic water, around 125.
- A rum and coke made with diet soda have 105 calories, while a regular version has about 185.
As you can see, there are many ways to make your favorite drinks healthier for you. Just be mindful of the ingredients you’re using and try to make some swaps when you can. With a little bit of creativity, you can still enjoy your favorite drinks while sticking to your diabetes management plan.
Why should I not drink if I have diabetes – why do doctors recommend avoiding alcohol as much as possible?
“People with diabetes should avoid alcohol because it can interfere with the medications they take and cause blood sugar levels to go up or down,” said Chandan Mehra, MD, an endocrinologist at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore. “It’s also a diuretic so that it can lead to dehydration. And drinking too much can cause liver damage in people with diabetes.”
Some people may drink alcohol in moderation without any problems, but it’s always best to check with your doctor first. They can help you create a plan that works for you and includes guidelines for drinking alcohol.
So if you have diabetes, it’s essential to talk to your doctor about whether or not you can drink alcohol and how much is safe for you. There may be some restrictions on what types of drinks you can have, and it’s always important to be aware of how your blood sugar levels respond to alcohol. Living with diabetes doesn’t mean you have to give up drinking altogether – be smart about it.
