diabetes and alcohol

Diabetes and alcohol
A person with diabetes daily faces many everyday difficulties, which not only need to be understood, but also need to be able to solve correctly. In particular, there is often a myth about the need to completely exclude alcohol from the diet of a diabetic. Therefore, attention is often focused only on the potentially negative effects of alcohol. In general, alcohol consumption lowers blood glucose levels by slowing the process of releasing glucose stores from the liver (glycogenolysis) and slowing the formation of new glucose molecules (gluconeogenesis). This happens due to the "busyness" of the liver in the decomposition and detoxification of alcohol. The exception is sweet varieties of alcohol (liqueurs, sweet wines), rich in carbohydrates, which can increase the level of glycemia.
You can drink alcoholic beverages, but there are a number of simple rules that patients with diabetes should follow:
1. Do not drink alcohol on an empty stomach. Combine drinking alcohol with food. After drinking alcohol, eat an additional source of carbohydrates with plenty of water.
2. Do not exceed the recommended amount of alcohol, which is up to 14 and 7 units per week for men and women respectively (see flowchart). Spread the amount of alcohol evenly throughout the week (no more than 2 and 1 units of alcohol per day for men and women, respectively).
3. It is better to drink alcohol in the company of people who know about your disease. In the event of hypoglycemia, they will be able to quickly provide you with the help you need. In other cases, you should carry an identification mark (bracelet, medallion, etc.).
4. Enjoy your drink! Slow consumption will allow you to clearly control the amount of drink and its effect on your body.
Listen to yourself! Take a "hypo kit" with you. If you have diabetes, you should always have easily digestible carbohydrates with you, such as lollipops or glucose tablets, for a quick "exit" from a hypoglycemic state. Remember that drinking alcohol will reduce your level of attention, and therefore
it is important not to miss the early manifestation of symptoms of hypoglycemia.
5. If you feel unwell the next day, check your blood sugar as this could be a sign of hypoglycemia.
6. Control your blood glucose levels. It is important to know how your body reacts to alcohol consumption. To do this, measure your blood sugar before and two hours after taking it. Different types of alcohol will cause different fluctuations.
25 ml of 40% alcohol
(vodka, whiskey, cognac)
•1 unit
275 ml of 5.5%
alcohol (beer)
•1.5 units
125 ml 12% alcohol
(wine)
•1.5 units
330 ml 5% alcohol
(beer, cider)
•1.7 units
440 ml 3.6%
alcohol (beer, cider)
•2 units
175 ml 12% alcohol< br>(wine)
•2.1 units
250 ml 12% alcohol
(wine)
•3 units
Following these simple rules will protect you from unforeseen consequences. However, it is worth paying attention to some cases:
1. If you have been diagnosed with diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage), drinking alcohol can make it worse. In addition to neuropathy, there are a number of other complications and accompanying diseases (liver, pancreas, kidney damage, hypertension, etc.), the presence of which will require an individual approach to solving the issue of alcohol consumption. Such decisions should be made only after consultation with a specialist, your family doctor or endocrinologist.
2. The simultaneous use of alcohol and hypoglycemic drugs or insulin injections can lead to unexpectedly severe hypoglycemia. In such cases, it is also necessary to determine an individual approach to the issue of alcohol consumption.
3. Any alcoholic drink is a high-calorie product. If you're trying to lose weight, you should limit your alcohol consumption below
the generally recommended level. An increase in body weight will contribute to poorer glycemic control.
4. Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages "for diabetics". Such products contain fewer carbohydrates, but their alcohol content is unusually high, and therefore it is easy to exceed the permissible dose.
5. Low-alcohol wines often contain more carbohydrates, so avoid these varieties.
6. Sweet wines and liquors should be limited as much as possible, up to their complete exclusion from the diet.
7. Use only those cocktails, the contents of which you know and are safe for you. The mixed composition of such a drink makes it difficult to calculate the dose of alcohol received, besides, it often includes high-calorie hydrocarbon impurities.
8. Pay attention to the quality of alcohol. Be aware of the possibility of purchasing a fake. Such a product is generally dangerous from a toxicological
point of view, and especially for a diabetic, since the composition of the product is unknown (percentage of alcohol, content of carbohydrates, other impurities).
And finally, it is worth remembering that alcoholic beverages belong to the class of substances capable of causing physical and psychological dependence. You should be especially careful with the use of alcohol during periods of chronic stress factors, when psychological reserves of resistance are imperceptibly depleted, so a person is more vulnerable to the emergence of psychophysical dependence on alcohol. Consume wisely, responsibly and with pleasure!