Alcohol And Diabetes – What Happens When You Drink Alcohol

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Finding out that you have diabetes is initially difficult to come to terms with. As there is no cure for diabetes you must come to terms with the fact that you will have the disease for the rest of your life and your lifestyle will change accordingly.

Treatment involves monitoring your blood sugar level every day. It may also mean injecting insulin or taking some form of medication to make your body more responsive to insulin. It should involve getting more exercise. And it must include watching what you eat and drink.

Watching what you eat and drink is probably one of the hardest things to get used to when you have diabetes because for most people eating is a very enjoyable experience. However once you have adapted to having diabetes, you will find that meal planning is actually quite easy.

One thing that many adults with the disease wonder about is whether alcohol and diabetes is compatible. How does alcohol affect the body and can a diabetic consume alcohol like someone that doesn’t have the disease. This article will cover these issues.

There is no restriction on consuming alcohol for a diabetic provided it is in moderation. Many alcohol beverages will have lots of calories and sugar in them. This has two effects. It will increase the blood sugar immediately and promote weight gain over the long term. Being overweight or putting on weight increases the chances of having other complications as a result of diabetes. Most doctors will advise diabetics to lose weight or keep their weight within a specific range of this.

After drinking alcohol, the liver will control the processing of it. One ounce of alcohol will take approximately two hours to completely metabolize. This depends on the size of the person and their physical fitness. During this time the liver stops making glucose.

During this process there is a possibility that the blood sugar level can become low and the person can become hypoglycemic. If you are hypoglycemic you may feel light headed, lethargic or even pass out. This is the reason why you have probably been told never to drink on an empty stomach.

So for anyone about to drink alcohol, a small snack should be taken beforehand. This is particular relevant to diabetics and they should try to keep their blood sugar levels as stable as possible. A snack will cause the liver to create glucose and put it into the bloodstream before alcohol enters the body. If you take any diabetes pills then you shouldn’t drink for a few hours after or as the prescription advises.

Don’t drink excessively. Alcohol has no nutritional benefits for the body and as a diabetic it will be harder to control the blood sugar level. Fluctuations in blood sugar levels will make blood circulation worse and may lead to nerve damage and further problems with the cardiovascular system.

A glass of wine with dinner is fine. A few drinks as part of a celebration of some sort is also fine. As you grow used to treating your diabetes you will know how your body reacts in various situations. This can help you to know when and how much alcohol you can consume.

Find out about health problems caused by type 2 diabetes and how the diabetes glycemic food index can help you create diabetic meal plans.
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Topics: Diabetes | Comments Off

Tags: Diabetes, diabetic, Diseases & Conditions, health, Health & Fitness, Health & Nutrition

Article Citation
MLA Style Citation:
Fletcher, Adrian "Alcohol And Diabetes – What Happens When You Drink Alcohol." Alcohol And Diabetes – What Happens When You Drink Alcohol. 5 Apr. 2008. uberarticles.com. 8 Apr 2012 <http://uberarticles.com/health-and-fitness/diabetes/alcohol-and-diabetes-what-happens-when-you-drink-alcohol/>.

APA Style Citation:
Fletcher, A (2008, April 5). Alcohol And Diabetes – What Happens When You Drink Alcohol. Retrieved April 8, 2012, from http://uberarticles.com/health-and-fitness/diabetes/alcohol-and-diabetes-what-happens-when-you-drink-alcohol/

Chicago Style Citation:
Fletcher, Adrian "Alcohol And Diabetes – What Happens When You Drink Alcohol" uberarticles.com. http://uberarticles.com/health-and-fitness/diabetes/alcohol-and-diabetes-what-happens-when-you-drink-alcohol/

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