Diabetes and Alcohol

[Chattyaholic]

For those of you with diabetes, do you ever have an alcoholic drink, and if so, what kind do you have? I am an "occasional" drinker, like at a birthday celebration, or New Year's Eve, or on a cruise....etc. I'm just wondering what alcoholic drink would be the best choice. I take glucophage (500 mg). Not sure if the type of meds or dosage has anything to do with what to drink, but just thought I'd mention it.

 

[LisaTx]

DH is typeII and used to take glucophage. We're just occasional drinkers too. The Dr.'s never told him not to drink.

I would think an occasional drink would be ok if you don't overindulge. I would try to pick a lower carb drink so as not to raise the blood sugar too much.

Webmaster Penny posted a link once to a nutritional site that included info on alcohol. Let me see if I can find it.

Here's the link.

 

[CarolMN]

I paraphrased the following from The Johns Hopkins Guide to Diabetes:

Diabetics need to be very careful when consuming alcoholic beverages. Alcohol suppresses glucose release from the liver. Even small amounts (2 - 3 ounces) can increase the risk of hypoglycemia (blood sugar too low).

If you are going to drink, have something to eat first. That way, you won't be depending on the glucose reserves in your liver to protect you from hypoglycemia. Keep in mind that some symptoms of hypoglycemia (confusion, slurred speech) can be mistaken for drunken behavior. People have ended up in jail for inebriation when in fact they were hypoglycemic.

.... stop short of recommending alcohol but are supportive if our patients want to build a drink or a beer or a glass of wine into their regular diet. ....recommend strongly AGAINST excessive drinking which we define as more than one or two drinks daily. A moderate amount of alcohol is defined as 1.5 ounces of distilled liquor, 4 ounces of wine or 12 ounces of beer. ..........people with conditions such as gastritis or high triglycerides or a history of pancreatitis may also be well advised to avoid alcohol. Talk with your health care provider........

In summary, it seems 1 or 2 drinks a day, in conjunction with a meal is OK if you are careful. I personally have not had any trouble with a glass of wine before a meal (I'm also a Type II diabetic who takes glucophage, aka metformin). You may want to test more frequently to see how it affects you.

Enjoy!

 

[Chattyaholic]

Thanks for the info and link, Lisa. I will check it out.

Carol, thanks for the info. It sounds like it wouldn't be a problem to have an occasional drink, and that's what I needed to know.

I appreciate both of your replies, thanks!!