So, here’s the truth about drinking alcohol and your risk for diabetes.
Drinking by itself won’t cause you to develop diabetes. However, drinking provides excess calories, and that can make it more likely that you’ll gain weight. In fact, a drink like an 8-ounce margarita has almost 400 calories — and no nutritional value. “Cocktails and beer have an enormous amount of sugar and carbs, and dietary choices may be less than optimal when patients are drinking,” says endocrinologist Dr. Clifton Jackness of Park Avenue Endocrinology & Nutrition in New York.
[See: The 12 Best Diets to Prevent and Manage Diabetes.]
“Being overweight and having high amounts of abdominal or visceral fat is associated with insulin resistance, which can lead to glucose intolerance and Type 2 diabetes,” says Lory Gonzalez, a nurse educator and certified diabetes educator at the Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Miami.
If you are diabetic, being overweight makes your body more resistant to insulin, making it harder to manage diabetes, says certified diabetes educator Toby Smithson, a spokesperson for the American Association of Diabetes Educators.
You may have heard recently about studies, including this one from Diabetologia published in August, that found that moderate drinking actually lowered the risk for developing Type 2 diabetes compared with people who don’t drink at all, drink a little or drink heavily. “It’s not entirely clear why,” says Dr. Melissa Young, an endocrinologist on staff at CentraState Medical Center in Freehold, New Jersey. “It may be because in moderate amounts, alcohol raises HDL, or ‘good’ cholesterol. It is also thought to have some anti-inflammatory properties.”
However, the studies in this area have some problems, Young cautions. For example, researchers relied on participants to accurately report how much they drank — and that’s not always reliable data. Plus, you need to consider other side effects from drinking alcohol when you have diabetes or prediabetes, such as a higher risk for low blood sugar and weight gain, Smithson says.
[See: 6 Tips to Keep Diabetics Out of the Hospital.]
Bottom line, whether you do or don’t have diabetes, a glass of wine with dinner may be OK — but the research isn’t a prescription to imbibe carelessly.
Excess drinking also can lead to many other serious health risks, says Mercy T. Molina, a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator at the Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. These include:
— Liver disease.
— Heart disease.
— High blood pressure.
— Pancreatitis.
— A worsening of diabetes complications such as nerve damage, eye disease and elevated triglycerides.
[See: 11 Tips for Testing Your Blood Sugar at Home.]
If you are diabetic and still want to drink occasionally, keep in mind the current recommended guidelines of no more than one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men. One drink is equal to a 12-ounce beer, 5 ounces of wine and 1½ ounces of distilled spirits. Here are some other tips to keep in mind if you drink and have diabetes:
— Always drink with a meal or on a full stomach. This will lessen alcohol’s effect on your blood sugar.
— Keep calorie counts in mind both when eating and drinking. There are 7 calories per gram of alcohol compared with 4 calories/gram for protein or carbohydrates. A 5-ounce glass of wine usually has 125 calories. “That’s more than a slice of bread, 30 strawberries or a chicken wing,” Young says. Avoid high-calorie sugary mixed drinks such as daiquiris and mudslides.
— Wear a medical ID bracelet that says you have diabetes, Molina advises. In case you pass out from excess drinking or low blood sugar, this lets people know you need immediate care.
— Check your blood sugar more often before, during and after you drink. This gives you a better idea of how alcohol affects your blood sugar. “Try to check the blood sugar before drinking and, if taking insulin, take a little less insulin with that meal,” Jackness advises.
— Watch for signs of low blood sugar. “Drinking alcohol can lead to serious low blood sugar reactions,” Gonzalez cautions. “When you drink, the liver is busy breaking the alcohol down, so it does a poor job of releasing glucose into the bloodstream.” That can lead to a severe drop in blood sugar levels, especially if you’re drinking on an empty stomach. Ironically, the signs of low blood sugar can make you appear drunk. Young shares the story of a patient who was drinking with friends. When he passed out, friends thought he just needed to sleep it off. “Good thing his girlfriend checked his blood sugar, as he was severely hypoglycemic,” she says. They were able to get him emergency care. Because of this risk for hypoglycemia, make sure you always have a fast-acting sugar source with you like glucose tablets, gel or hard candy, Gonzalez advises.
— Stay hydrated while drinking. Drinking alcohol can dehydrate you, so have a glass of water or other nonalcoholic drink between alcoholic choices.
— Find fun nonalcoholic alternatives. You can still celebrate without alcohol. Some suggestions include diet soda, an Arnold Palmer (half sugar-free lemonade and half sugar-free iced tea), mocktails, water with an orange or lemon slice, flavored unsweetened iced teas, fruit-infused waters, sparkling waters or even sparking water in fruity flavors.
— Don’t drink and drive.
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