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| Natural (Alcohol and Diabetes) |
If you have diabetes, should you drink alcohol? That question has long been debated, with "it depends" being the answer for most people.
According to the American Diabetes Association, "Beyond all the health and safety concerns about alcohol, if you have diabetes and are on diabetes medications that lower blood glucose, you need to practice caution."
Alcohol is processed by the body in a similar way to fat; one drink equals 2 fat exchanges while regular beer equals 1 starch exchange, according to dlife.com. Alcohol is also loaded with calories - a 5-oz. glass of wine has at least 100 calories. Drinking temporarily reduces the ability of your liver to release glucose while it labors to clear the alcohol from your blood. This is why drinking can lead to hypoglycemia - low blood sugar - right after drinking and for as much as 8-12 hours afterward.
Alcohol also seems to be associated with vision problems for those with diabetes, according to a limited study reported in Diabetic Medicine. "People with type 2 diabetes who drink alcohol are at increased risk for blurry vision unrelated to retinopathy, researchers said. Moderate drinking did not increase the risk for or progression of retinopathy in a study of more than 1,200 diabetics, but it nearly doubled the risk of losing two eye-chart lines of visual acuity over an average of five years."
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| Natural (Alcohol and Diabetes) |
According to a recently reported study from Australia, total abstinence may be a good thing. As reported by endorineweb.com. the Australian National Drug Household survey showed that people diagnosed with diabetes are much more likely to swear off alcohol and "these participants reported tremendous improvement in their perceived overall well-being after abstaining from alcohol."
If you choose to drink, discuss your decision with your physician. If you have trouble controlling your blood glucose or have other health issues such as high blood pressure or obesity, your physician may recommend cutting out alcohol altogether.
The ADA recommends a maximum two drinks per day for men and one for women, consumed along with food. For those 65 and older, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism recommends no more than one alcoholic drink per day. Note that these are the same recommendations as for people without diabetes.
Other tips from ADA:
* 1 alcoholic drink equals a 12 oz beer, 5 oz glass of wine, or 1 oz distilled spirits (vodka, whiskey, gin, etc.).
* If you drink alcohol at least several times a week, make sure your doctor knows this before he/she prescribes a diabetes pill.
* Drink only when and if blood glucose is under control. Do not omit food from your regular meal plan.
* Test blood glucose to help you decide if you should drink.
* Wear an I.D. that notes you have diabetes.
* Sip a drink slowly to make it last.
* Have a no calorie beverage by your side to quench your thirst.
* Try wine spritzers to decrease the amount of wine in the drink.
* Use calorie-free drink mixers -- diet soda, club soda, diet tonic water, or water.
* Drink alcohol with a snack or meal. Some good snack ideas are pretzels, popcorn, crackers, fat-free or baked chips, raw vegetables and a low-fat yogurt dip.
* Find a registered dietitian to help you fit alcohol into your food plan.
* Do not drive or plan to drive for several hours after you drink alcohol.
(Adapted from the book Diabetes Meal Planning Made Easy by Hope S. Warshaw, MMSc, RD, CDE, a nationally recognized expert on healthy eating and diabetes.)
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Natural (Alcohol and Diabetes)
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Additional resources and references:http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/what-can-i-eat/alcohol.html
