Slideshow: Diabetes-friendly Drinks And Cocktails
Drink in Moderation Most people with diabetes can enjoy some alcohol. Rules are the same as for everyone else: one drink per day for women; two for men. But you need to know how alcohol affects your blood sugar. A sugary drink might spike your blood sugar. But if you drink on an empty stomach or take certain meds, your levels could swing too low. A 12-ounce beer has about 15 grams of carbohydrates, compared to 3 to 6 grams in light beer. Also, “light” and “low carb” are pretty much the same thing -- and also your best bet. Be careful with craft beers. Most have twice the alcohol and calories as regular beer. Some research says wine (red or white) may help your body use insulin better and may even make you less likely to get type 2 diabetes in the first place. It may also have heart benefits, to boot! Moderation is the key as too much alcohol can cause hypoglycemia. A standard 5-ounce serving has about 120 calories, nearly all of which come from alcohol, not carbs. Recipes vary, but depending on the fruit and juices involved, this drink may have as much sugar as a regular soda. Instead of sangria, go with one glass of dry red or white wine. Those only have about 4 grams of carbs. Avoid sweeter varieties, like flavored wines and dessert wines. One ounce of liquor, depending on the proof, has about the same amount of alcohol as 5 ounces of wine. While liquor is often carb-free, mixers like soda and juice can send blood sugar levels through the roof. To prevent a spike, mix your liquor with a calorie-free drink like water or seltzer. Sweet drinks like margaritas and mojitos don’t have to be off-limits. Use sugar-free mixers for margaritas and fresh fruit for daiquiris. And instead of pouring simple syrup into mojitos and martinis, try a natural sweetener like stev Continue reading >>
Wine For Type 2 Diabetic Patients?
Abstract To ensure an acceptable quality of life for Type 2 diabetic patients, the food recommendations have to be as liberal and individualized as possible. Unfortunately, disagreements exists about the consumption of different types of wine. Diabetic patients are advised by some to restrain their wine intake and to use dry wine containing little carbohydrate, while others are more liberal. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of dry and sweet wine on the glycaemic control in Type 2 diabetes. Twelve diabetic patients consumed a light meal with either 300 ml tap water 300 ml dry white wine, 300 ml sweet white wine with ethanol added or 300 ml dry white wine with glucose added. Similar glucose, insulin, and triglyceride responses were obtained in all four situations. There was a greater suppression of the free fatty acid levels in the three situations with wine as compared with water (p < 0.001). This effect may be caused by an attenuation of the free fatty acid mobilization and esterification of free fatty acids to triglycerides induced by alcohol. Our results indicate that patients with well-controlled Type 2 diabetes can drink moderate amounts of wine with meals without risking acute deterioration of glycaemic control. Whether the wine is dry or sweet has no impact on the glycaemic control. Continue reading >>
Drinking And Type 2 Diabetes
Popping a champagne bottle, clinking glasses for a toast, or sharing a beer with friends are time-honored rituals. If you have type 2 diabetes, does this mean those rituals can no longer be part of your life? Questions to Ask Before Imbibing You should ask yourself these three questions before you consider drinking alcohol: Is your diabetes under control? Do you have any other illnesses that could be made worse by drinking alcohol? Do you know how to manage your blood sugar if it dips too low or rises too high? If your diabetes is not under control; if you have other illnesses affecting your liver, heart, or nerves; or if you don’t know what to do if your blood sugar fluctuates too much, alcohol may cause some significant side effects. Finally, if you didn’t drink alcohol before you were diagnosed with diabetes, you probably shouldn’t start now. Regular drinking can also interfere with good diabetes self-care. A large study of nearly 66,000 patients with diabetes published in April 2013 in the journal Acta Diabetologica found that the more patients drank, the less likely they were to adhere to important self-care behaviors like getting enough exercise, not smoking, eating a healthy diet, and taking their diabetes medications. Your Physician’s Input Is Important Cynthia Herrick, MD, a Washington University endocrinologist with Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, says people with type 2 diabetes should talk with their physician about how often — and how much — they drink. If you’re healthy and your doctor doesn’t see any reason why you can’t drink alcohol, as always, moderation is the key. Robert Ruxin, MD, an endocrinologist in Ridgefield, Connecticut, says moderation means a daily limit of "one alcoholic drink equivalent or less for women and two or l Continue reading >>
How To Drink Wine & Keep Blood Sugar Low
Drinking a little wine now and then won’t harm your health and may actually improve some aspects of it. But drinking too much wine or drinking wine when your blood sugar is already unsteady can be dangerous if you have diabetes. Learn how to imbibe safely, and speak to your doctor about how drinking alcohol affects your health. Video of the Day Wine is made from fermented grapes. During fermentation, the sugars are turned into alcohol. Wine also contains carbohydrates, the macronutrient that has the biggest effect on your blood sugar. If you have more than one drink, the carbohydrates may initially cause your blood sugar to rise. Three glasses of red wine, for example, contain almost 12 grams of carbs -- a lot to have in one sitting, especially if the drinks are accompanied by other carb-rich foods. The real danger of drinking wine, however, is that alcohol can cause your blood sugar to drop too low for up to 24 hours after imbibing. Under normal conditions, the hormone insulin helps regulate your blood sugar by enabling your cells to use blood sugar for energy. However, alcohol can cause your pancreas to release too much insulin. Excess insulin in your system causes a sharp drop in blood sugar called hypoglycemia. Symptoms of hypoglycemia include sleepiness, dizziness and disorientation -- similar to drunkenness. Having diabetes doesn’t mean you can’t drink, but it does mean you need to take extra precautions. Test your blood sugar and never drink when your blood sugar is low or your stomach is empty. Follow guidelines for moderate drinking, which advise women to limit alcohol to one drink per day and men to limit their intake to two drinks daily. One drink is equal to one 5-ounce glass of wine. If you decide to drink wine, always have a little food with it. If y 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 >>
5 Things You Need To Know About Drinking And Diabetes
Having a drink at a barbecue or the cottage is a popular way to unwind and relax on the long weekend, but for people living with diabetes there are some serious risks involved. Joanne Lewis, dietitian and Manager of Diabetes Research for the Canadian Diabetes Association, sat down with Current to discuss some facts and tips for drinking and diabetes. Whether it’s counting your calories or making the right beverage choices, here are five things every person with diabetes needs to know: 1) Alcohol Alone Won’t Raise Your Blood-Sugar: Although it’s a common misconception, Lewis says alcohol in itself won’t raise your blood sugar. It’s often the added sugars found in coolers, liqueurs and soda that can raise your levels. “A lot of people are under the misconception that it can raise your blood sugar, and so what they might do is they might have a drink and not eat, because they’re thinking, ‘ok, the alcohol is going to raise my sugar’. “But if they’re taking insulin or certain oral medications, they can actually end up with a low blood sugar, because alcohol affects the liver that way. The liver gets busy detoxifying the alcohol to where it’s not producing the sugar it needs to produce to get into the blood to keep everything leveled,” she says. 2) Choose Your Beverage Wisely: You may be longing for a tangy margarita, or tempted to try a mixed drink with sugar sodas, but the reality is these drinks will raise your blood sugar levels. Lewis says if you have to drink, dry wines (including Merlot, Malbec, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio), beer or straight liquor is less likely to raise your blood sugar. 3) Beer and Carbs are Complicated: Carbohydrate counting can often be as much a concern as blood sugar levels. Lewis says experts no longer count alco Continue reading >>
The Best Low Carb Alcohol For Diabetics
As a former wine maker and current wine-lover, one of the things I’m super grateful for is that alcohol itself doesn’t spike my blood sugar. Sure there are plenty of drinks that aren’t great for diabetics, however, there’s no need to miss out on any of the fun. Phew. Since it’s the ‘silly’ season I thought I’d share my favourite diabetic-friendly options when I’m in the mood for a tipple. The Best Low Carb Alcohol for Diabetics 1. Red Wine Most red wine is completely dry, meaning all the sugar has been fermented to alcohol. So it’s the safest bet. Plus you don’t want to miss all those ‘healthy’ antioxidants 2. Dry White Wine There are plenty of dry white wines. It’s a bit trickier to navigate because there are also plenty of whites where the wine maker ends the fermentation before the sugar is all gone. If you’re not sure, best to ask if the wine is ‘dry’ before buying. While you can generally taste any residual sugar, it can be hard to detect. In very cool climate wines where the acidity is also high, the sweetness can be masked by the acid. 3. Spirits Straight spirits are an easy choice (although not necessarily easy to drink!). It’s the mixers used in cocktails and other mixed drinks that can be problematic. On the rare occasion I have spirits I stick to vodka with soda water. If you’re a cocktail lover just don’t be afraid to ask questions about what exactly is in your drink. Remember bar tenders love their ‘simple syrup’ which is basically sugar and water. What about Champagne? I know. It kills me but as I’ve learned the hard way, during the champagne making process a sugar solution is added prior to bottling. This balances out the acidity from the grapes and the harshness from the Carbon Dioxide bubbles. So it makes ch Continue reading >>
Red Wine And Diabetes Health: Getting Skin In The Game
It was an unexpected pleasure to be invited to write a Perspectives in Diabetes article considering the proposition that moderate consumption of red wine provides health benefits for people with diabetes. At the outset, I want to make clear that since Perspectives in Diabetes are not review articles in the conventional sense, this one does not exhaustively analyze the effects of beer, hard liquor, or alcohol per se on health. This one is all about wine, especially red wine. This is an important point because of the intrinsic psychic influences of wine. Beer is associated with boisterous behavior at sporting events. Hard liquor is associated with serious drinking and dark moods. Wine, on the other hand, is associated with relaxation, reflection, celebration, conviviality, toasting, and a certain amount of dry humor. So, in this spirit, I will lace this article with a modicum of these wine-related characteristics. Archeologists tell us that humans made and drank wine in the Middle East (Fig. 1) beginning in ~7000 BCE—well before recorded time. During its 9,000-year history, wine has been used for many purposes, including religious (Fig. 2) and medical ones. The scientific literature over the past half century does not explicitly warn against drinking wine in moderate amounts, except during pregnancy. Yet, in the U.S. there continues to be a lurking hesitancy in some social circles about its use for relaxation or recreational purposes. Some religious faiths specifically proscribe wine, which also makes it interesting that some other religious faiths include wine in their services. Beyond use of moderate amounts, it is clear that drinking wine excessively leads to inebriation and likely endangerment of self and others, just as with any alcohol-containing beverage. In view 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 >>
Diabetes And Alcohol
If you have diabetes, drinking alcohol may cause your blood sugar to either rise or fall. Plus, alcohol has a lot of calories. If you drink, do it occasionally and only when your diabetes and blood sugar level are well-controlled. If you are following a calorie-controlled meal plan, one drink of alcohol should be counted as two fat exchanges. It is a good idea to check with your doctor to see if drinking alcohol is safe for you. Here are some other ways that alcohol can affect diabetes: While moderate amounts of alcohol may cause blood sugar to rise, excess alcohol can actually decrease your blood sugar level -- sometimes causing it to drop into dangerous levels, especially for people with type 1 diabetes. Beer and sweet wine contain carbohydrates and may raise blood sugar. Alcohol stimulates your appetite, which can cause you to overeat and may affect your blood sugar control. Alcoholic drinks often have a lot of calories, making it more difficult to lose excess weight. Alcohol may also affect your judgment or willpower, causing you to make poor food choices. Alcohol can interfere with the positive effects of oral diabetes medicines or insulin. Alcohol may increase triglyceride levels. Alcohol may increase blood pressure. Alcohol can cause flushing, nausea, increased heart rate, and slurred speech. These may be confused with or mask the symptoms of low blood sugar. People with diabetes who drink should follow these alcohol consumption guidelines: Do not drink more than two drinks of alcohol in a one-day period if you are a man, or one drink if you are a woman. (Example: one alcoholic drink = 5-ounce glass of wine, 1 1/2-ounce "shot" of liquor or 12-ounce beer). Drink alcohol only with food. Drink slowly. Avoid "sugary" mixed drinks, sweet wines, or cordials. Mix liquor Continue reading >>
Ask The Diet Doctor: Wine On A Low-sugar Diet
Q: If I’m avoiding sugar, can I still drink wine? A: Yes, even if you’re cutting back on carbs and sugars, there’s still a place for an evening glass of pinot noir in your diet. [Tweet this good news!] I have yet to find a client (outside of extreme competition dieting) who needed to eliminate wine completely in order to reach any sort of health goal. Not that you need another reason to drink vino, but it is actually healthy for you. Some population-based studies show a relationship between wine intake and improvements in insulin sensitivity. This makes your body more efficient at using carbs, which leads to better health and easier fat loss. One study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that women who drank two glasses of wine a day for eight weeks experienced a 7-percent increase in insulin sensitivity. Wine has also long been considered one of the key health-promoting components of the Mediterranean diet. RELATED: Your Guide to Low-Calorie Cocktails There are two things to keep in mind when imbibing on a low-sugar diet. 1. Dry wines contain minimal sugars. Choosing red or white doesn’t matter as much as opting for dry over sweet. Dry wines generally have less than 1 gram (g) of carbohydrates (sugars) per ounce while the carb content of sweet wines can be upwards of 1.5 to 2g per ounce. These sugars can add up quickly: Technically one serving of wine is five ounces, but six to nine ounces is generally more realistic, especially when you’re pouring a glass at home to unwind. However, it is impossible (and unnecessary) to avoid sugar completely, so just adjust your wine intake to fit your personal sugar guidelines. Dry Reds Pinot noir: 0.68g carbs per ounce Cabernet franc: 0.71g Merlot: 0.74g Cabernet sauvignon: 0.75g Shiraz/syra Continue reading >>
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 >>
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 >>
