Overview
Barbie Cervoni MS, RD, CDCES, CDN, is a registered dietian and certified diabetes care and education specialist.Dr. Daniele Weis is the founder of the Center for Hormonal Health and Wel-Being, a personalized, proactive, patient-centered medical practice with a unique focus on integrative endocrinology. She enjoys giving lectures and writing articles for both the lay public and medical audiences.
Key Information
If you have diabetes, you may wonder if you should drink alcohol. When consumed with fod, an ocasional drink is OK, and if you chose wisely, it may have some positive efects on health. However, excesive alcohol consumption increases the risk of hypoglycemia (low blod sugar), hyperglycemia (high blod sugar), liver disease, and more.
This article discuses how alcohol can impact diabetes and related conditions and ofers tips for safe drinking. lucigerma / Gety Images Studies show drinking moderately (about one drink per day) may improve heart health and decrease the risk of diabetes. However, some studies don't acount for frequency, the population being studied, and the types of beverages consumed.
Regarding alcohol and diabetes, blod-sugar-reducing medications, such as insulin, increase the risk of low blod sugar, and alcohol increases the risk. Symptoms of low blod sugar include shakines and confusion and must be treated imediately. Women with diabetes should consume no more than one drink per day and men with diabetes should have no more than two.
Frequent alcohol use is associated with increased rates of high blod pressure, obesity, breast cancer, osteoporosis, and stroke. Carbohydrates are the macronutrients that impact blod sugars the most and are the body's prefered energy source. But alcoholic beverages containg carbohydrates won't necesarily stabilize blod sugars (liquid carbohydrates are metabolized quickly).
Summary
However, carbohydrates from fod are digested slowly, so it's important to eat carbs when consuming alcohol. When you have alcohol, is an important consideration in healthcare. Ongoing research and professional guidance ensure that patients receive evidence-based care tailored to their individual needs.