Alcohol & Diabetes: How does it affect your blood sugar?
If you have questions about how alcohol fits into your diabetes management, please consult with a medical professional or nutritionist. These are just a few of the variables you’ll want to pay attention to when you’re drinking and taking insulin. Just like the varying content of sugar in kombucha, the more fermentation a wine has endured, the more what happens if a diabetic drinks too much alcohol the sugar from the grapes has been broken down and turned into alcohol. On the flip side, repeatedly vomiting quickly leads to dehydration — even more so if your bloodstream is flooded with alcohol. When alcohol is present in the body, your liver takes its job very seriously by working to eliminate that alcohol you’ve consumed as quickly as possible. Furthermore, if you have been drinking heavily, there may be a risk of hypos for up to 16 hours (or even more) after you have stopped drinking.
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Alcohol use impacts many important processes in the body, including how blood sugar is regulated. Alcohol can cause different effects on your blood sugar, depending on how much you drink and whether you have diabetes. If you have both type 1 or type 2 diabetes and drink alcohol you may be at a heightened risk for diabetes complications. The pancreas is an organ that makes substances that support bodily functions including digestion and metabolism.
- Diabetes is a chronic condition that affects millions of people worldwide.
- When you drink too much, these calories can replace those of more nutrient-rich foods and drinks, leading to weight gain.
- In addition to its effects on the brain, alcohol also affects the peripheral nervous system, which comprises the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord.
Hypoglycemia

Many people with diabetes experience depression and alcohol dependence can become an outlet to deal with their feelings. If you do think that you or someone that you know has a drinking problem, seek help from your doctor or from sources such as Alcoholics Anonymous. As far as insulin goes, you should talk to your doctor about your insulin dosages when you plan on drinking. If you have an insulin pump, your doctor may want you to lower your basal rate while you are drinking. If you take long acting insulin that peaks hours after you administer it, your doctor may want you to reduce the dosage.
Is it okay to drink alcohol if you have diabetes? Ginger Vieira explains how alcohol can affect your blood sugar.

Many impotent diabetic men also have lower than normal levels of the sex hormone testosterone in their blood. Alcohol reduces blood levels of testosterone and may thereby further exacerbate the existing hormonal deficit. Clinical experience indicates, https://ecosoberhouse.com/ however, that a testosterone deficit rarely is the sole reason for impotence in diabetic men, because treatment with testosterone rarely restores potency in those men. Thus, both neuropathy and vascular disease likely play significant roles in impotence in diabetic men.
“The good news is that earlier stages of steatotic liver disease are usually completely reversible in about four to six weeks if you abstain from drinking alcohol,” Dr. Sengupta assures. Steatotic liver disease develops in about 90% of people who drink more than 1.5 to 2 ounces of alcohol per day. Remember that what is alcoholism every person with diabetes responds differently to alcohol. Pay attention to how your body reacts to different types of alcohol and situations, and use that information to make better decisions about drinking in the future.
Handling a hangover may require additional preparation and care, according to Everyday Health’s network site Diabetes Daily. Depending on the severity of your diabetes and other related health considerations, it may be a good idea to quit or limit your use of alcohol, as alcohol has a big effect on your blood sugar levels. Alcoholic ketoacidosis can develop when you drink excessive amounts of alcohol for a long period of time.
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- When alcohol is consumed, it passes from the stomach and intestines into the bloodstream, where it distributes itself evenly throughout all the water in the body’s tissues and fluids.
- Having alcohol with a meal, rather than on an empty stomach, can help your body process it more effectively.
- You should also talk with your health care provider to see if it is safe for you to drink.
- So, it’s a good idea to drink in moderation and only when your diabetes and blood sugar levels are well managed.
Alcohol also impairs bone fracture repair and reduces bone density. Alcohol interferes with the brain’s communication pathways and can affect the way the brain looks and works. These disruptions can change mood and behavior and make it harder to think clearly and move with coordination. More information about alcohol’s effects on the brain is available on NIAAA’s topic page on Alcohol and The Brain. Alcohol can have a rapid blood sugar-lowering effect, which is slowed if there’s food in your stomach.