Drinking alcohol may raise or lower your blood sugar, depending on whether you have diabetes. Furthermore, alcohol is high in calories. If you consume alcohol, do so only on rare occasions and only when your diabetes and blood sugar levels are under control. If you’re following a calorie-restricted diet, one drink should be regarded as two fat exchanges. It’s a good idea to inquire with your doctor to determine whether drinking alcohol is appropriate for you. Alcohol abuse and heart disease are related to each other.

Effects of Alcohol on Diabetes

The following are additional ways that alcohol may influence diabetes:

• In general, moderate amounts of alcohol may cause blood sugar levels to rise, but binge drinking can lower blood sugar levels — particularly for individuals with type 1 diabetes.
• Carbohydrates in beer and sweet wine can cause blood sugar to rise.
• Alcohol elevates your appetite, leading to overeating and fluctuations in blood sugar levels.
• Alcoholic beverages, on the other hand, are high in calories and make it more challenging to lose weight.
• Alcohol may also affect your judgment or willpower, influencing you to make poor food selections.
• Alcohol may counteract the beneficial aspects of antidiabetic pills or insulin.
• Triglyceride levels may be raised by drinking alcohol.
• Blood pressure may be increased by drinking alcohol.
• Flushing, nausea, a quickened heart rate, and slurred speech are all symptoms of drinking alcohol. These might be mistaken for or hide the indications of low blood sugar.

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Can Diabetic Drink Alcohol?

The answer is yes. You can drink alcohol if you have diabetes. But only in moderation. The more drinks you have, the higher your blood sugar levels will become. So speak with your doctor to determine whether alcoholic beverages are suitable for you. And always remember that drinking too much can lead to health problems like heart disease, liver damage, and cancer.

Have no more than one drink a day if you have type 2 diabetes and two drinks a day if you have type 1 or gestational diabetes. If you’re watching your calorie intake, keep in mind that a serving of beer is about 200 calories and 13 grams of carbohydrate. A 5-ounce glass of wine has about 100 calories and 3 grams of carbohydrates. A 1.5-ounce shot has about 97 calories and 0 grams of carbohydrate. Remember to account for these drinks when you’re tallying up your daily caloric intake.

Alcohol and Kidneys are two things that you really don’t want to mix.

If you’re on medication to treat diabetes, drinking alcohol can have serious consequences. Some medicines work better when you’re not drinking alcohol. And if you drink while taking insulin, you could end up with low blood sugar. Be sure to talk to your doctor about how alcohol will affect your diabetes medication.

You may also experience side effects like increased thirst and urination, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. So it’s essential to be aware of what happens when you drink alcohol with diabetes.

Since drinking alcohol can raise your blood sugar, this means that your medication may also need to be changed. Talk to your doctor about the best course of action for you.

If you’re watching your weight, remember that one serving of beer equals two fat exchanges (45 calories and 6 grams of carbohydrate). A 5-ounce serving of wine equals one fat exchange (100 calories and 3 grams of carbohydrate). And a 1.5-ounce shot of liquor is equivalent to one fat exchange (97 calories and 0 grams of carbohydrate).

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Don’ts and Do’s for People with Diabetes Who Drink Alcohol

People with diabetes who wish to drink should adhere to the following drinking guidelines:

• If you are a man, don’t exceed two alcoholic beverages in one day; don’t drink more than one if you are a woman. (A “shot” of liquor or 12-ounce beer equals one alcoholic beverage.)
• Only with food should you drink alcohol. Never drink alcohol on an empty stomach. Food slows down the rate at which alcohol enters the body’s circulation. If you’re going to consume alcohol, eat a meal or snack that contains carbohydrates.
• Drink slowly. Take in small, measured sips.
• Choose a low-carbohydrate beverage, such as wine, vodka, and soda with a splash of orange juice. Or have a light beer instead of regular beer if you’re trying to lose weight.
• Don’t rush yourself when drinking alcohol on an empty stomach. Don’t feel forced to finish a drink because you’ve started it.
• To avoid low blood sugar levels, monitor your blood glucose levels more closely when drinking alcohol.
• Be sure to have a non-alcoholic beverage on hand to drink if you feel the effects of alcohol. This will help you stay hydrated and prevent low blood sugar from occurring.
• Drink responsibly, and drink when you’re not alone.
• Do not use a syringe to squirt insulin into your mouth or nose if you feel the effects of alcohol. You can harm yourself this way by injecting the insulin into a muscle instead of under the skin where it’s supposed to go.
• Be sure to check carbohydrate content before drinking. Mixed drinks can contain a lot of sugar and carbs.
• Wear a medical alert necklace that says you have diabetes at all times.

Must Read: Effect of Alcohol on Heart Rate

Diabetes, Alcohol, and Social Drinking: What’s the Connection?

People with diabetes need to be especially careful about drinking alcohol since it may exacerbate some of the side effects of the disease. To begin with, alcohol affects the liver in its role of maintaining blood sugar levels. Alcohol can also affect some diabetes medications. Even if you only drink occasionally, talk to your doctor about it, so they know which medicines are best for you. Here’s what you need to know:

1. Alcohol lowers blood sugar levels and can cause dangerous interactions with diabetes drugs.

Alcohol can alter blood glucose levels in a variety of ways. Alcohol can raise or lower blood sugar depending on how much you drink. Certain diabetes medications (including sulfonylureas and meglitinides) stimulate the pancreas to generate more insulin, which reduces blood sugar levels. When the effects of the medicine are combined with alcohol might cause hypoglycemia or “insulin shock,” an emergency condition.

2. Alcohol interferes with the liver’s ability to function.

Your liver’s primary duty is to store glycogen, which is the glucose fuel that has been stored in its chemical form. When you haven’t eaten, your liver must work to store glycogen for future use. Instead of regulating blood sugar or blood glucose, your liver has to work hard to eliminate alcohol from your circulation. Because of this, you should never drink alcohol when your blood glucose level is low.

3. On an empty stomach, don’t drink alcohol.

When you drink alcohol, your body absorbs the beverage more slowly because it takes time to digest. If you’re going to have a drink, eat something with carbohydrates first.

4. Before having an alcoholic beverage, check your blood sugar.

Alcohol inhibits the ability of your liver to produce glucose, so check your blood glucose level before consuming an alcoholic beverage.

5. Hypoglycemia can be caused by drinking alcohol.

Alcohol lowers blood glucose levels almost immediately after drinking and for up to 12 hours afterward. Always check your blood glucose level following alcohol consumption to ensure it is within the safe zone. If your blood glucose is dangerously low, eat something to raise it back up immediately.

6. You may preserve your life by drinking slowly.

When you drink too much alcohol, it can make you dizzy, sleepy, and confused—all of which are associated with hypoglycemia. Wearing a bracelet that informs others around you that you have diabetes so they know your symptoms might be due to hypoglycemia is encouraged. To increase blood glucose levels, eat or take glucose tablets if hypoglycemic.

7. Knowing your limit may save your life.

Your doctor will tell you how much alcohol is healthy to consume. This might imply that you don’t drink anything at all, depending on your health problem. According to certain studies, women with diabetes should not have more than one alcoholic beverage a day. Men should limit themselves to two glasses of wine or other drinks per day.

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The Best Alcohols for People with Diabetes

If you have diabetes, drinking alcohol is generally safe as long as you pick the proper beverages and balance alcohol’s effects on your blood sugar levels. Because diabetes degrades insulin production or function, blood sugar control is essential.

When consuming alcohol, it can also cause your sugar levels to fluctuate considerably. Alcohol consumption may also excessively raise or lower your blood sugar levels, depending on the beverage and whether you have eaten recently. Moderate drinking — especially red wine — has been linked to health benefits in people with diabetes. However, heavy drinking might complicate drug interaction and risk diabetes-related complications.

Beer

On the other hand, low-carb beers can have up to 37% fewer calories and 80% fewer carbohydrates than conventional brews. Here are some of the most common low-carb beer alternatives:

• Miller Lite, Bud Lite, and Coors Lite all have approximately 4 grams of carbohydrates per 12-ounce serving.
• Michelob Ultra has 2.5 grams of carbohydrates and 95 calories in a 12-ounce serving.
• Asahi Super Dry has 5 grams of carbohydrates and 99 calories in a 12-ounce serving.
• Heineken has 10 grams of carbohydrates and 140 calories in a 12-ounce serving.
• Amstel Light has 3 grams of carbohydrates and 95 calories in a 12-ounce serving.

For people with diabetes, experts recommend sticking to light beers or choosing alcohols low in carbohydrates.

Wine

Red wine is generally recommended for people with diabetes because it has antioxidants, including resveratrol. Resveratrol can reduce blood sugar levels. In one study, drinking 20 grams of alcohol from the wine with a meal decreased the insulin requirement by 16% and increased the glucose uptake by 12%.

Other health benefits include:

• Increased HDL levels
• Reduced formation of blood clots
• Decreased risk of heart attack

The resveratrol in red wine might also help control blood sugar levels. The effect of drinking alcohol on diabetes is controversial, but one thing is clear: People with diabetes should talk to their doctors about the pros and cons of drinking alcohol before they begin.

• Champagne has roughly 120 calories per 4-oz serving. This drink also contains about 14 grams of carbohydrates.
• Dessert wines usually contain about 200 calories per 5-oz serving, along with 22 or more grams of carbohydrates.
• White wine has between 110 and 125 calories in a 4-oz serving. It also contains 15 to 20 grams of carbohydrates.

Distilled spirits, i.e., gin, rum, vodka, or whiskey

Spirits are hard liquors distilled from grain, fruit, or vegetable. Vodka and gin are the most popular spirits in the United States.

Many liquors contain around 100 calories per 2-oz serving. However, they also have almost no carbohydrates (one ounce of hard liquor has 0 grams) and therefore do not affect blood sugar levels. This is a benefit for people with diabetes.

Hard liquor has no carbohydrates and therefore does not affect blood sugar levels. Liqueurs are sweetened distilled spirits that often contain cream, eggs, or fruit juices. They can have up to 250 calories per serving and 30 grams of carbohydrates. Because of the high carbohydrate content, experts recommend avoiding liqueurs if you have diabetes.

Low Carb Cocktails

You don’t have to give up cocktails just because you have diabetes. There are plenty of low-carb cocktails that you can enjoy. Here are a few recipes:

• Bloody Mary

Ingredients: Vodka, tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, lemon juice, salt, pepper

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a shaker with cracked ice. Shake well and strain into a glass.

• Cucumber Martini

Ingredients: Vodka, cucumber, sugar syrup (1 part sugar to 2 parts water), lime juice

Directions: Peel the cucumber and cut it into thin slices. Combine all ingredients and shake well in a shaker filled with ice—strain into a chilled martini glass.

Gin and tonic

Ingredients: Gin, tonic water (or club soda), lime (optional)

Directions: Fill a tall glass with ice cubes. Add gin to taste. Top with tonic or club soda. Stir well, adding more or less tonic to taste. Squeeze a lime wedge over the drink, if desired.

Remember

Experts recommend that people with diabetes consume alcohol in moderation. That means no more than one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men. Remember to count alcohol as part of your daily carbohydrate allowance. Alcohol can increase your appetite and impact your blood sugar if you aren’t careful with how much you drink.

Talk to your doctor about how much alcohol is safe for you to drink and whether there are any types of alcohol that you should avoid. With a little bit of planning, you can still enjoy a drink or two in moderation without worrying about your blood sugar levels.

Ref: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc6761899/

TDC Admin