Alcohol And Diabetes
For some people, having a few drinks at home or in the pub is part of everyday life. And having diabetes shouldn’t get in the way of this. But when you have diabetes, it’s a bit more complicated. You might want to know whether it's safe to drink alcohol, and how much is okay. So yes, you can still drink, but you need to be aware of how it can affect your body and how to manage this. For example, drinking can make you more likely to have a hypo, because alcohol makes your blood sugars drop. It can affect your weight too, as there can be a lot of calories in alcoholic drinks. We’ll give you all the facts here. Alcohol and risk factors for Type 2 We don’t know exactly what causes Type 2 diabetes. But we do know that your family history, age and ethnic background affects your risk of developing it, and we know you’re more likely to develop it if you’re overweight. These are all called risk factors. Alcohol isn’t a risk factor in itself. But it can contain a lot of calories, which can lead to putting on weight. Take a look at our information about risk factors and find out your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Government guidelines on alcohol units To help keep health risks from alcohol at a low level, it’s safest not to regularly drink more than 14 units a week. These guidelines are the same for men and women. But what does this actually mean when you’re in the pub or having dinner with a glass of wine at home? It means you shouldn’t drink more than six medium glasses of wine or six pints of lager a week. But the size of the glass and type of alcohol affects the number of units, so it’s best to check the guidelines at drinkaware.co.uk Alcohol and hypos If you use insulin or some other diabetes medications like sulphonylureas, you’re more likely to Continue reading >>
Drinking Wine Is Linked To A Lower Risk Of Diabetes
TIME Health For more, visit TIME Health. Drinking alcohol—especially wine—every few days may help protect against type 2 diabetes, suggests a new study published in the journal Diabetologia. People in the study who drank three to four days a week were about 30% less likely to develop diabetes than those who drank less than once a week. This isn’t the first study to find a link between drinking moderately—having up to 7 drinks a week for women and up to 14 drinks a week for men—and a reduced diabetes risk, compared to not drinking at all. (Heavy drinking, however, is known to increase the risk of diabetes.) For the new study, researchers analyzed data from more than 70,000 healthy Danish adults who were surveyed about their health and drinking habits around 2007. They tracked them for five years to see who developed type 2 diabetes. People who had the lowest risk for diabetes were those who drank alcohol at moderate—and slightly more than moderate—levels. Men who drank 14 drinks a week had a 43% lower risk of diabetes than men who did not drink at all; women who drank nine drinks a week had a 58% reduced risk. TIME Health Newsletter Get the latest health and science news, plus: burning questions and expert tips. View Sample Sign Up Now The timing of those drinks also mattered. Drinking three to four days a week was linked to the biggest risk reduction. For women, very infrequent drinking (less than one day a week) was also associated with slightly lower diabetes rates, compared to being a lifetime abstainer. “For the same total weekly amount of alcohol, spreading it out on more days is better than drinking it all together,” said lead author Janne Tolstrup, professor of epidemiology and intervention research at the University of Southern Denmark’s Nati Continue reading >>
Red Wine Boosts Heart Health In Type 2 Diabetes
Science has what can seem like a million different answers for this question. If you're a woman under 45, the answer might be no -- a daily drink could raise your risk of breast cancer. But if you’re a man in your 60s, the evidence is mixed. Some studies show it might be good for men’s hearts, while other, more recent studies suggest there’s no benefit from moderate drinking. Throw a chronic condition into the mix, like diabetes, and the answers are even more confusing. Alcohol can lower blood sugar, which might seem like a good thing -- unless you drink too much. In that case, drinking can cause an episode of dangerously low blood sugar. Beyond blood sugar, there’s been limited evidence that moderate drinking might improve heart health. If true, that’s important since people with diabetes are two to four times more likely to have heart disease. That’s why a new study is a standout. It found that having a daily glass of red wine modestly improved some measures of heart health. Researchers were precise when they designed the study, including only men and women between the ages of 40 and 75 with stable, type 2 diabetes -- they couldn’t need more than two insulin injections a day or be on an insulin pump. People were also excluded if they smoked or had a history of heart attack, stroke, or a recent major surgery. They also did something that’s unusual for alcohol studies: They randomly assigned 224 people to drink a glass of red or white wine or water with dinner every day for 2 years. That’s the longest any group has been followed for this kind of test. They were also a little sneaky. When they were recruiting for the study, they didn’t tell people they were going to test the health effects of alcohol. Instead, they told them they would be eating a hea Continue reading >>
Alcohol And Type 2 Diabetes: What You Need To Know
Many people with type 2 diabetes think they need to eliminate alcohol completely from their diet. But, in moderation, alcohol may actually have some health benefits. For instance, moderate alcohol consumption may reduce the risk of developing diabetes in people who don’t have the condition, particularly women, according to a data analysis published in the September 2015 issue of Diabetes Care. And in people who have type 2 diabetes that is well-controlled, a glass of red wine a day as part of a healthy diet may help improve heart disease risk factors, according to results of a two-year study published in Annals of Internal Medicine in October 2015. However, you need to be thoughtful about including any type of alcohol, even red wine, in your type 2 diabetes management plan. “The most important thing is to make sure you aren’t drinking alcohol on an empty stomach,” says Liz Brouillard, RD, LDN, CDE, nutrition manager at the Boston Medical Center’s Center for Endocrinology, Nutrition, and Weight Management in Massachusetts. She recommends only drinking alcohol with a meal or snack that contains both carbohydrates and protein. That's because alcohol can lower your blood sugar, creating a risky situation for people with type 2 diabetes. Symptoms of low blood sugar — sleepiness, dizziness, and disorientation — can look like being intoxicated, she says, adding that people who use insulin or other medications that lower blood sugar are at greater risk for hypoglycemia. If signs of hypoglycemia are mistaken for drunkenness, you may not get the help and treatment you need. For added safety and security, tell someone you're with about your condition. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends wearing a medical ID that lets people know you have diabetes. Be C Continue reading >>
Red Wine And Type 2 Diabetes: Is There A Link?
Adults with diabetes are up to two to four times as likely to have heart disease than people who don’t have diabetes, says the American Heart Association. Some evidence suggests that drinking moderate amounts of red wine could lessen the risk of heart disease, but other sources caution people with diabetes against drinking, period. So what’s the deal? A few words on diabetes More than 29 million people in the United States have diabetes. That’s nearly 1 in 10 people, according to figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Most cases of the disease are type 2 diabetes — a condition in which the body doesn’t make enough insulin, uses insulin incorrectly, or both. This can cause high levels of sugar in the blood. People with type 2 diabetes must control this sugar, or blood glucose, with a combination of medications, like insulin, and lifestyle changes, such as diet and exercise. Diet is key to diabetes management. Found in many foods such as breads, starches, fruits, and sweets, carbohydrate is the macronutrient that causes blood sugar levels to go up. Managing carbohydrate intake helps people manage their blood sugar. But contrary to popular belief, alcohol may actually cause blood sugar levels to go down instead of up. How red wine affects blood sugar According to the American Diabetes Association, drinking red wine — or any alcoholic beverage — can lower blood sugar for up to 24 hours. Because of this, they recommend checking your blood sugar before you drink, while you drink, and monitoring it for up to 24 hours after drinking. Intoxication and low blood sugar can share many of the same symptoms, so failing to check your blood glucose could cause others to assume you’re feeling the effects of an alcoholic beverage when in realit Continue reading >>
Is Red Wine Good For Diabetics? Study Claims The Tipple’s Main Antioxidant Can Help Reduce Artery Stiffness For Type 2 Sufferers
Many people count a glass of red wine as one of their guilty pleasures. Yet, drinking the occasional Merlot may protect type 2 diabetes patients from heart attacks and strokes. Researchers have found an antioxidant, known as resveratrol, in red wine reduces artery stiffness in type 2 diabetics, which is a known cause of heart-related illness. Study author Dr Naomi Hamburg, chief of vascular biology, Boston University School of Medicine, said: 'This adds to emerging evidence that there may be interventions that may reverse the blood vessel abnormalities that occur with aging and are more pronounced in people with type 2 diabetes and obesity.' Resveratrol is found in the skin of red grapes and gives wine its color. It is also found in peanuts and berries. Researchers from Boston University measured the stiffness of the body's main artery, known as the aorta, in 57 type 2 diabetes patients. Patients then consumed daily doses of 100mg resveratrol for two weeks, followed by a 300mg dose every day for a fortnight and finally a placebo for four weeks. Of those with high aortic stiffness at the start of the study, the 300mg dose improved flexibility by 9.1 percent and the 100mg dose by 4.8 percent, while stiffness worsened with placebo. This effect was not seen in patients without aortic stiffness at the start of the study. Dr Hamburg said: 'The effect of resveratrol may be more about improving structural changes in the aorta and less about the relaxation of blood vessels, and people with more normal aortic stiffness may not get as much benefit. Results will be presented at the Peripheral Vascular Disease 2017 Scientific Sessions in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This comes after Professor Gordon Shepherd from the Yale School of Medicine said drinking red wine sparks reactions in the Continue reading >>
Glass Of Red Wine A Day Can Keep Diabetes Under Control
Glass of red wine a day can keep diabetes under control Red wine lowers bad cholesterol and keeps diabetes under control, Israeli scientists have found Red wine appears to help lower cholesterol and help fight diabetes Photo: Alamy A glass of red wine a day can keep diabetes under control, say scientists. A study of patients who did not normally drink found those having the regular tipple with their evening meal had healthier hearts and cholesterol levels than those who drank mineral water or white wine instead. And they slept better than those drinking water. Researchers followed 224 participants with type 2 diabetes - the form linked to obesity - for two years and put their findings down to the healthy antioxidants in dark grapes called phenols - the most well-known of which is resveratrol. "Red wine was found to be superior in improving overall metabolic profiles." Prof Iris Shai, of the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel, said: "The differences found between red and white wine were opposed to our original hypothesis that the beneficial effects of wine are mediated predominantly by the alcohol." However both red and white wine improve sugar control among those carrying genes that helped them to metabolise alcohol slowly. It is though that diabetes affects nearly four million people in Britain although around 850,000 are currently undiagnosed. Diabetics could help keep their condition under control with a glass of wine Photo: Alamy The first long-term alcohol study of its kind - published in Annals of Internal Medicine - aimed to assess the effects and safety of initiating moderate alcohol consumption in diabetics and sought to determine whether the type of wine matters. People with diabetes are more susceptible to developing cardiovascular diseases than Continue reading >>
Does Wine Help Or Harm People With Diabetes?
With commentary from study author Meir Stampfer, MD, DrPH, professor of epidemiology and nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Doctors have long faced a paradox when advising their patients with type 2 diabetes on drinking alcohol. Moderate drinking has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, which would benefit people with diabetes who are at increased risk of the disease. Yet, people with diabetes have traditionally been advised to reduce their alcohol consumption to help better control their glucose levels. Now preliminary results of a new study presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Prague, found that adults with diabetes may be able to safely drink in moderation and reap the heart benefits. The study randomly assigned 224 patients with controlled type 2 diabetes to have either mineral water, white wine or red wine (about a 5-ounce serving of wine) with dinner every night for two years. All patients were following a healthy Mediterranean diet with no calorie restrictions. Researchers found that red-wine drinkers had a modest improvement in high-density lipoproteins (HDL), the good cholesterol, and also had improved apolipoprotein A1, a component of HDL. Those who drank red or white wine also saw modest improvements in glucose metabolism. Drinking one 5-ounce serving of red or white wine wasn’t associated with any negative effect on medication use, blood pressure or liver function tests. “Obviously excess drinking is harmful, but there is no good evidence to discourage moderate consumption among diabetics who have no other contraindication,” says Meir Stampfer, MD, DrPH, professor of epidemiology and nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and one of the authors of the study. “This first long-term large scale alc Continue reading >>
Diabetes & Alcohol
Drinking alcohol can lead to serious low blood sugar reactions. Alcohol can also affect diabetic nerve damage, eye disease, and high blood triglycerides. You may wonder if drinking alcohol is safe for people with diabetes. If you drink alcohol, there are some things you need to know first about alcohol safety. Is it Safe to Drink Alcohol? Check with your doctor to make sure alcohol doesn’t interfere with your medications or complicate any of your medical conditions. Drinking alcohol can lead to serious low blood sugar reactions, especially if you take insulin or types of diabetes pills that stimulate the release of insulin from the pancreas. Alcohol can also affect other medical conditions you may have, like diabetic nerve damage, diabetic eye disease, and high blood triglycerides. Get guidelines for alcohol use from your medical provider. How Much Alcohol Can I Drink? If you choose to drink alcohol, drink in moderation. Limit your intake of alcohol to no more than one serving per day for women, and no more than two servings per day for men. One serving size of alcohol equals: 12 ounces of beer 5 ounces of wine 1½ ounces of distilled spirits (such as rum, whiskey, gin, etc.) Alcohol and Risk of Low Blood Sugar If you are managing your diabetes with diet and exercise alone, drinking alcohol can stil increase your risk of low blood sugars. And if you take insulin or types of diabetes pills that stimulate insulin production, drinking alcohol can lead to even more serious low blood sugar reactions. Normally, the liver releases glucose to maintain blood sugar levels. But when you drink alcohol, the liver is busy breaking the alcohol down, so it does a poor job of releasing glucose into the bloodstream. This can lead to a drop in blood sugar levels if you are drinking alco Continue reading >>
Red Wine 'benefits People With Type 2 Diabetes'
A glass of red wine a day can improve cardiac health and help manage cholesterol for patients with type 2 diabetes, according to findings in a 2-year study published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. Moderate alcohol consumption has been linked to improved cardiovascular and total mortality rates, and a glass of red wine a day as part of a healthy diet has been considered beneficial for some time. There is evidence that type 2 diabetes is less prevalent among moderate drinkers, yet the risk-benefit balance is controversial for such patients, due to a lack of long-term randomized studies. Researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev-Soroka Medical Center and Nuclear Research Center Negev, Israel, wondered if both red and white wine might improve glucose control, depending on alcohol metabolism and genetic profiling. Previous research has suggested that ethanol (alcohol) is the key, meaning that alcoholic drinks other than red wine could be equally beneficial; others claim that red wine has particularly advantageous properties. Potential benefits for people with type 2 diabetes People with diabetes have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease, as well as lower levels of "good" HDL cholesterol. High levels of HDL cholesterol can reduce the risk for heart disease and stroke, as it absorbs cholesterol and carries it back to the liver, where it is flushed from the body. 29.1 million people in the US probably have diabetes, or 9.3% of the population 21 million have been diagnosed An estimated further 8.1 million have not been diagnosed. Should patients with type 2 diabetes be recommended to take up moderate alcohol consumption? The American Diabetes Association (ADA) leave the decision to the individual; the American Heart Association (AHA) recommen Continue reading >>
Does Dry Red Wine Affect Glucose Levels?
Foods that contain carbohydrates and alcohol, like dry red wine, are especially likely to affect blood sugar, also called blood glucose levels. If you are diabetic, it's especially important to monitor your blood glucose and to watch how much and what kind of alcohol you drink. Video of the Day Cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir and merlot are some of the driest of the red wines. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, these wines contain about 4, 3 and 4 grams of carbohydrates, respectively, in a 5-ounce serving. Foods that contain carbohydrates -- especially in liquid form -- can cause a drastic and sudden increase in blood sugar levels. In addition, certain types of alcohol, such as dry red wine, may cause your glucose levels to increase initially. However, drinking more than one serving of dry red wine at a time may lead to the development of hypoglycemia, or low blood glucose levels, if you are diabetic. Continue reading >>
Is Red Wine At Dinner Good For Type 2 Diabetes?
A glass of red wine each evening with dinner may offer heart health perks to people with type 2 diabetes. A two-year study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine is the first long-term study aimed at assessing the effects and safety of drinking moderate amounts of alcohol in people with type 2 diabetes, who are more at risk for developing cardiovascular disease than the general population. Those with type 2 diabetes also tend to have lower levels of HDL, the "good" cholesterol. The researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev reported that over two years, red wine helped improve signs of cardiac health by modestly increasing levels of HDL cholesterol and lowering overall cholesterol. The randomized controlled intervention trial involved 224 controlled diabetes patients aged 45 to 75, who generally abstained from alcohol. The patients were randomly assigned to drink 5 ounces of red wine, white wine, or mineral water (the control group) with their dinner for two years. They were all given instructions to follow a well-balanced Mediterranean diet plan that did not have a calorie restriction. The researchers performed genetic tests that showed how quickly the patients metabolized alcohol, as well as various lipid (cholesterol) tests. They also measured glucose control, blood pressure, liver function tests, medication use, and other symptoms at several time points during the two-year follow-up. Compared with the group that drank water, patients in the red wine group had improvements in their lipid tests, the study showed. "Red wine was found to be superior in improving overall metabolic profiles, mainly by modestly improving the lipid profile, by increasing good HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein A1, one of the major constituents of HDL cholesterol, while decrea Continue reading >>
Alcohol & Diabetes
As a general rule, there is no need to avoid alcohol because you have diabetes. You should not drink alcohol if you: Are pregnant or trying to get pregnant Are breastfeeding Have a personal or family history of drinking problems Are planning to drive or engage in other activities that require attention or skill Are taking certain medications. Ask your pharmacist about your medications. Consider the following questions when deciding what is best for you: Is my diabetes under control? Am I free from health problems that alcohol can make worse such as disease of the pancreas, eye disease, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, liver problems, nerve damage or stroke? Do I know how to prevent and treat low blood glucose (sugar)? If you answered “no” to any of these questions, you should speak to your diabetes educator or health-care professional before drinking alcohol. If you answered “yes” to all of these questions, it is OK to drink alcohol in moderation. Moderate alcohol intake is limited to two standard drinks/day or less than 10 drinks/week for women; and less than three standard drinks/day or less than 15 drinks/week for men. This recommendation is the same for people without diabetes. Health risks of alcohol use You may have heard that alcohol has certain health benefits. However, any pattern of drinking can be harmful. Proven ways of improving your health include: healthy eating, being active, and being a non-smoker. Diabetes Canada’s Clinical Practice Guidelines recommend that: People using insulin or insulin secretagogues should be aware of delayed hypoglycemia (low blood glucose) that can occur up to 24 hours after drinking alcohol. People with type 1 diabetes should be aware of the risk of morning hypoglycemia if alcohol is consumed two to three hour Continue reading >>
Drinking Red Wine Regularly Reduces Risk Of Diabetes
Drinking red wine three to four times a week lowers the risk of developing type 2 diabetes according to a recent study by Danish researchers. The study, carried out on over 70,000 people over five years, was published in Diabetologia and monitored how much and how often they drank. The results found that drinking moderately three to four times a week reduced a woman’s risk of type 2 diabetes by 32%, while it lowered a man’s risk by 27%. Red wine was found to be particularly beneficial to lowering the risk of developing diabetes because the polyphenols in red wine help to manage blood sugar levels, according to the study. Men who drink one to six beers a week lowered their risk of diabetes by 21% but there was no impact on women’s risk. Meanwhile, a high intake of spirits among women significantly increased their risk of diabetes, while there was no effect in men. Experts warned that the results shouldn’t be treated as a “green light” to drink in excess of the existing NHS guidelines – 14 units of alcohol a week. “We found that drinking frequency has an independent effect from the amount of alcohol taken. “It’s better to drink the alcohol in four portions rather than all at once,” said Prof Janne Tolstrup, from the National Institute of Public Health of the University of Southern Denmark. The study also found that drinking moderately a few times a week lowered the risk of cardiovascular disorders, such as heart attacks and strokes. Continue reading >>
A Glass Of Wine A Day May Help Control Type 2 Diabetes
If you're in the habit of drinking wine with dinner, there may be a bonus beyond the enjoyment of sipping a glass at night. A new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine adds to the evidence that drinking a moderate amount of wine can be good for your health. The evidence comes from a new two-year-long study on people with diabetes. Researcher Iris Shai of Ben Gurion University says in Israel and elsewhere, lots of people with diabetes get the message that alcohol — even in moderation — can be harmful. "There is a myth that alcohol is not so safe for them," Shai says. In order to test the influence of wine on people with diabetes, Shai recruited about 225 people who already had elevated blood sugar, and they agreed to follow a Mediterranean style diet for two years. Everyone in the study was eating the same mix of foods but when it came to what to drink, some began drinking one glass of red wine per day, some began drinking one glass of white wine per day and others drank mineral water. And at the end of the study? "We found that a glass of red wine with dinner can improve the cardiovascular health of people with Type 2 diabetes," Shai says. In particular, Shai found that compared to people who drank mineral water with dinner, the wine drinkers — both those who drank white and red — benefited from improvements in blood sugar control. And the red wine drinkers got an additional benefit: They saw improvements in their levels of good cholesterol. The effects are not huge, but physician Christopher Wilcox of Georgetown University Medical Center says they could be significant. "One glass of alcohol per day had these admittedly modest but worthwhile benefits," he says. There's been a lot of interest in the idea that specific compounds in red wine may help p Continue reading >>
