Whether it is night party or a dinner, a glass of beer or wine perhaps cheers up the minds of the drinkers. However, we often think of if alcohol is good for our health. Especially, for diabetics, alcohol seems to be one of the health-oriented concerns.
Obviously, people, who have diabetes, need to be highly careful when they are going to drink alcohol as alcohol may lead to some complications. In case of those, who are new to taste alcohol, may have the effect of liver; as a result, they may have problem in controlling their blood sugar.
However, if you are the occasional drinker, then you may talk to some healthcare expert. So, the main concern is of those, who regularly drink alcohol but have diabetes. Keep the following facts in mind, if you have high blood sugar and if you wish to drink any kind of alcohol.
Alcohol reacts with medications for diabetes
Alcohol may lead to the increase or decrease of glucose in blood, though it depends on the amount, you have taken. Some of the diabetes tablets (such as, meglitinides and sulfonylureas) may also reduce blood glucose with the stimulation of pancreas in order to produce more amount of insulin. If the medications for lowering blood sugar get blended with alcoholic drink, it may bring about hypoglycemia.
Never sip alcohol when your stomach is empty
Food holds back the speed alcohol absorption into bloodstream. So, some experts suggest that it is better to eat snack or meal (carbohydrate enriched food), while you want alcohol.
Try to check blood sugar level before enjoying alcoholic drink
Alcohol damages your liver’s capacity to generate glucose, thus be certain that you have made out your own blood glucose level.
Save your life with the slow drinking of alcohol
When your weight is about one hundred fifty pounds, your liver may take almost 2 hours to completely break down your alcoholic.
Sipping a high amount of alcohol may give you dizzy, drowsy or disoriented (symptoms found in hypoglycemia). So, always be aware of the fact that you are the diabetes patient.
Save yourself by limiting the amount
Your healthcare expert may inform you about the amount of alcohol that is riskless for your body. On the basis of your physical condition, your doctor may, at times, want you to stop alcohol.
Again, in few instances, women, who have diabetes, may drink not more than one glass of alcoholic drink per day, while men must not cross two glasses.
Avoidance of alcohol is essential in some cases
If you plan to drink only at some party, then it is not any problem. However, some people need to avoid drinking alcohol completely, if they are presently experiencing some diabetes-related problem.
When you have damage to nerves of legs and arms, alcohol may increase your tingling or burning feelings in feet and hands. Moreover, many people have also eye problem (diabetic retinopathy), high pressure and kidney damage, and they should also be much cautious, since alcohol tends to deteriorate such conditions.
Besides, alcohol may enhance the possibility of extreme blood pressure, the major cause for kidney disorder.
It is mentioned earlier that alcohol may have reaction with medications. If such reaction happens in your body, then you may notice some symptoms, like, stomach irritation, lightheadedness, difficulty in balance and many more. In this situation, try to keep away from alcohol until discussing this issue with some healthcare expert. Usually, if the syndromes aren’t much life threatening, then it may be right for you to be careful on alcohol consumption.
Does alcohol have any effect on heart?
While talking about diabetes and different effects of alcohol on sugar, it is essential discuss on heart health because diabetics often worry about cardiovascular problem. Some studies have shown that moderate or very low level of alcohol intake may lead to very low cardiovascular issues. But when you do not drink it earlier, never start this habit. The possible positive cardiovascular effects aren’t serious enough to get alarmed.
However, one fact is clear- sipping high amount of alcohol may remove all probable benefits and deteriorate diabetes-oriented difficulties, such as, nerve damage.
Dry wines or light beers are the best options as they contain much less level of alcohol along with low amount of calories. When you take pleasure in mixed drinks, you may make use of seltzer or soft drinks as the mixers. Keep away from those drinks that have higher sugar amount, for example, sugary wines and syrupy mixed beverages, such as, piña coladas.
White and red wine have almost hundred calories for every glass (five-ounce); red wines are sweeter and contain higher amount of calorie due to the excessive sugar, taken from grapes.
You may need to alter some other foodstuff choices in order to hold extra carbohydrates and calories from alcohol.
Thus, from the above details, it may be said that when you are diabetes patient, it is always important to be highly cautious of alcohol consumption because alcohol may lessen or raise blood sugar. When you want to have the taste of wine or beer, occasional drinking may control the blood sugar.
Besides, you may plan to follow calorie-controlled diet. A single drink of any alcoholic beverage must be considered as 2 fat substitutes. In addition to all these factors, it is a better plan to talk to a physician to find whether drinking wine is harmless for you.
