Type 1 & Red Wine | Diabetes Forum The Global Diabetes Community
Diabetes Forum The Global Diabetes Community Find support, ask questions and share your experiences. Join the community Been trying to research the bad/good effects of red wine with type 1 diabetes but can only find information relating to type 2. Anyone have any knowledge or links for a type 1 diabetic red wine lover? i myself do not drink but many people on here swear by having the odd drink and in most it actually seems to lower their blood glucose im sure someone else will be along soon to give you more info Hey guys thanks for the replies, glad to find out red wine lowers my BG as it's always high around evening time anyway The manufacturers of 'lantus' advise against drinking red wine for the simple reason that it lowers BG more than their own product and can result in hypos if you are also taking Lantus or other insulins... hmm.. what does that tell us about lantus? ! As a fellow T1, I can't recommend red wine. No, wait, I can't recommend red wine highly enough that's it. Red wine is reputed to have health benefits and there is certainly no reason not to drink it 'in moderation' with type 1. The only info on the lantus prescribing info (and its similar with other insulins) is : 'Alcohol, including beer and wine, may affect the way LANTUS works and affect your blood sugar levels. Talk to your healthcare provider about drinking alcohol' The main thing to be aware of is that basal insulin is designed to work in the background dealing with the glucose produced by the liver. The liver cannot process alcohol and produce glucose at the same time and it can only process about 1 unit of alcohol an hour. As basal insulin dose is calculated to cover this background of release of glucose, then blood glucose levels can fall. This can occasionally be dangerous. If too much in 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 >>
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 >>
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 >>
The Effect Of Evening Alcohol Consumption On Next-morning Glucose Control In Type 1 Diabetes
OBJECTIVE—Alcohol is associated with acute hypoglycemia in patients with type 1 diabetes. After drinking alcohol in the evening, delayed hypoglycemia has also been described, although its cause is unknown. We performed a controlled study to investigate this phenomenon. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—We admitted six men with type 1 diabetes (aged 19–51 years, HbA1c 7.0–10.3%) on two occasions, from 5:00 p.m. to 12:00 noon the following day. They received regular insulin injections before standardized meals, at 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m., and a basal insulin infusion (0.15 mU · kg−1 · min−1) from 11:00 p.m. They drank either dry white wine (0.75 g/kg alcohol) or mineral water at 9:00 p.m. over 90 min. Blood glucose, alcohol, insulin, cortisol, growth hormone, and glucagon levels were measured. RESULTS—Blood ethanol reached a mean (SEM) peak of 19.1 (1.2) mmol/l and was undetectable by 8:00 a.m. There were no significant differences in evening or overnight blood glucose levels between the studies. In the morning, fasting and postprandial blood glucose levels were significantly lower after consumption of wine (postprandial peak 8.9 [1.7] vs. 15 [1.5] mmol/l, P < 0.01), and from 10:00 a.m., five subjects required treatment for hypoglycemia (nadir 1.9–2.9 mmol/l). None of the subjects had hypoglycemia after consumption of water. After consumption of wine, growth hormone secretion was significantly reduced between midnight and 4:00 a.m. (area under the curve 2.1 [1.1] vs. 6.5 [2.1] μg · l–1 · h–1, P = 0.04). There were no differences in insulin or other hormone levels. CONCLUSIONS—In type 1 diabetes, moderate consumption of alcohol in the evening may predispose patients to hypoglycemia after breakfast the next morning. This is associated with reduced noctu Continue reading >>
Diabetes And Alcohol: Do The Two Mix? (part 1)
A nice glass of Chianti…a cold beer on a hot summer day…celebrating with a flute of champagne. There are so many ways that alcohol is integrated into both everyday life and special occasions. Granted, not everyone drinks alcohol, but many people do. And when it comes to the question, "Can I drink alcohol if I have diabetes?" the answer is about as clear as that for "Is a low-carb diet good for diabetes?" In other words, the answer really is, "It depends!" It’s important to mention right off the bat that there are certainly many reasons why people should not drink alcohol. Some may be related to diabetes and some may be related to other reasons. Therefore, it’s important to discuss this issue with your health-care provider if you have any doubts or concerns. And if you’re newly diagnosed with diabetes or starting on a new medicine, it’s worthwhile bringing up the topic if your provider doesn’t. While you’d be hard-pressed to find any health organization actually recommending that you drink alcohol, you might take some comfort in knowing that the American Diabetes Association, the American Heart Association, and even the American Cancer Society agree that drinking alcohol in moderation is certainly not off-limits to most people. But back to diabetes and alcohol. What’s the concern here? And why should some people with diabetes not drink alcohol? To answer these questions, it’s helpful to understand a little bit about how alcohol is processed in the body. The body treats alcohol as a drug, not as a food product. This means that, when you drink any type of alcoholic beverage, your liver kicks into high gear, preparing itself to “detoxify” the body of this “poison” (I’m using these words for dramatic effect). Essentially, the liver has to metabo 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 >>
Drinking
Your social life doesn't need to stop when you have type 1 diabetes You don’t need to stop drinking, but it is best to avoid drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, as it could cause you to have a hypo. That’s because when you drink, the liver has to stop work to break down the toxins and remove it. While your liver is doing this it can’t do all the other jobs it normally would, such as releasing stored glucose if your levels start to fall. This effect can last for many hours after you have been drinking and may continue overnight and into the next day. To avoid this, it’s recommended that you don’t drink too much in one session and have some carbohydrate to eat before or while you drink. You should also test your blood glucose level before you go to bed and eat a snack if your level is normal to low. On occasion, you may find that your blood glucose level rises too high after drinks that contain carbohydrate, such as spirits mixed with regular soft drink or large amounts of beer. Where possible, choose a diet drink as a mixer. Continue reading >>
I Have Type 1 Diabetes. What Types Of Wine Are Safer To Drink In Terms Of Sugar Content?
Open this photo in gallery: The question I'm a 50-year-old who loves wine but also has been fighting type 1 diabetes for almost 35 years. Other than the obvious ice wines, ports, etc., are there particular grapes that could be considered higher in carbohydrate (sugar) count than others? Does red versus white versus rosé make a difference? The answer Although I've "prescribed" a few wines to physicians who've asked for recommendations, I myself am no doctor. Nor am I a chemist. So take what I'm about to say for what it's worth. You're certainly on the right track by avoiding sweet beverages such as icewine and port. Sugar is a diabetic's enemy, and those wines have plenty. When it comes to "dry" wines (I put that in quotation marks because there's always at least a trace of sugar even in the driest wines), the best choice generally is red. As a category, red wines tend to be lower in sugar than white or rosé. It all depends on the specific wine; some reds, such as Yellowtail Shiraz from Australia, are sweeter than, say, a typical white Sancerre from France. I would also go so far as to say that European reds are more likely – speaking very, very generally – to be drier that those from very sunny New World regions, such as California and South Australia. That said, the tiny differences in sugar concentration are unlikely to make much of a difference if you intend to drink no more than a glass or two over the course of a couple of hours. If you're on prescribed medication, including insulin, and I suspect you are, you should absolutely consult with a doctor or nutritionist experienced with diabetes. Health experts I've spoken with would say that sugar is not your only concern. Alcohol plays into the equation. After drinking alcohol, you may experience low blood gluco 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 >>
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 >>
Effects Of Alcohol On Diabetes
Alcohol, which is made from fermented yeast, sugars, and starches is a very commonly used substance. In fact, 87.6% of adults aged 18 and over have consumed it at some point in their lifetime. It is also known as a depressant due to its capability to depress the central nervous system. About 71% have drank in the past year. When enjoyed in moderation, alcohol does not pose a risk, and actually has some health benefits to it. However, for those with diabetes, it can be a struggle to maintain a safe blood sugar while drinking. It is very easy to become hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) or hyperglycemic (high blood sugar), depending on which type of diabetes you have and the medications that you take. Understanding the effects drinking has on diabetes is very important. This article discusses the risks and benefits of drinking. It also explains what drinks are best for individuals with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Can I drink if I have diabetes? You can most certainly drink alcohol with diabetes. The key, just like many other things, is to do so in moderation. Also, if your blood sugar is not under good control, you should not drink because it can cause it to become too high or too low. Your doctor should be aware of your drinking habits so that they can make sure that you are not experiencing any complications related to it. I recommend reading the following articles: How does alcohol affect diabetes and my blood sugar levels? Normally, the liver is the organ that stores and secretes glucose to the cells in the body to fuel them when you are not eating. The liver is also responsible for cleansing the body of toxins. The liver does not recognize alcohol as food. Instead, it sees it as a drug and a toxin. When alcohol is in the system, the liver changes gears and begins to deto Continue reading >>
Diabetes Health Type 2: Is Red Wine Divine For Diabetes?
We’ve all heard that diabetics should stay away from alcohol. The reasoning is that alcohol breaks down into glucose which our bodies have a hard time metabolizing. Yet most of us have heard about the benefits of eating blueberries and red grapes. So one day I started wondering if there were any benefits to drinking red wine. If eating blueberries and grapes are beneficial in countering diabetes then couldn’t wine offer similar benefits? I guess that it all depends on who you ask. Some doctors will firmly discourage the consumption of alcohol, but I found information online that strongly support the consumption of one glass of red wine a day for counteracting diabetes (and Studies show that red wine offers benefits for Type II diabetics thanks to “resveratrol”, a powerful antioxidant found in red grapes, blueberries, and other berries. Benefits of drinking red wine include lower cardiometabolic risk, improvements in lipid tests, and is said to be superior in improving overall metabolic profiles. This information should not come as a surprise as people have known for millenniums the health benefits of drinking red wine. What is a surprise, is that science is showing that wine is divine for diabetes. I like to propose a toast to scientific proof. Cheers! I think that it’s safe to say that none of us were happy when we first found out that we had diabetes. The words “you’re a diabetic” or “you have diabetes” can sound like a death sentence and while we … Dear Nadia, Is marijuana used to lower high blood sugar? if so, does this mean I have to refrain from the munchies to get the benefits? Leah Dear Leah: The new Marijuana industry is still at its infancy in terms … Continue reading >>
Can Diabetics Drink Wine?
Wondering if a glass of red or white wine is OK to have with dinner? The American Diabetes Association (ADA) says yes, as long as you’re not pregnant and don’t have a history of alcohol abuse. The ADA also recommends that you eat whenever you’re drinking an alcoholic beverage. Since alcohol can cause severe, life-threatening low blood sugar (even in people who don’t have diabetes), food is essential to help the body regulate blood glucose levels. One study showed that moderate alcohol intake (no more than one drink a day) was associated with lower blood sugar levels and improved insulin sensitivity in healthy people without diabetes. Another study showed that blood sugar levels didn’t differ for 12 hours after a meal between diabetic patients (both types 1 and 2) who drank a glass of wine with dinner (or a shot of vodka before dinner, or a shot of cognac after dinner) and those who drank an equal amount of water. Finally, a number of studies have suggested that moderate alcohol intake may have a positive effect on blood cholesterol and lipid levels. Just remember that alcohol calories should be included in your meal plan (one alcoholic drink is 1 fat exchange). Reprinted from 101 Tips for Staying Healthy with Diabetes (and Avoiding Complications). Copyright by the American Diabetes Association. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Check out Health Bistro for more healthy food for thought. See what Lifescript editors are talking about and get the skinny on the latest news. Share it with your friends (it’s free to sign up!), and bookmark it so you don’t miss a single juicy post! Thanks for signing up for our newsletter! You should see it in your inbox very soon. Continue reading >>
Wine And Diabetes
Editor’s Note: This content has been verified by Marina Basina, MD, a Clinical Associate Professor at Stanford University. She’s a clinical endocrinologist and researcher with a focus on diabetes management and diabetes technology. Dr. Basina is an active member of multiple medical advisory boards and community diabetes organizations, and she is on the Beyond Type 1 Science Advisory Council. Wine is a popular choice of alcohol among adults. If you have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, you can drink wine, but you should be aware of the particulars of this alcohol and how it might affect your blood sugar. Always check with your doctor if you are healthy enough to consume alcohol. The alcohol content of wine ranges from 12-15%, and therefore, the serving size for wine is a smaller 5 oz. Most red wines have less than 5 grams of carbs per serving. However, one 3.5 oz serving of dessert wine clocks in at 14 grams of carbs. Check out the Beyond Type 1 drinking carb chart. Not only will the alcohol inebriate you faster, after an initial spike, it will yank your BGLs down scary-fast. Having some carbohydrates in your stomach will prevent the kind of nosedive I experienced in Vernazza. This is important for everyone, not just T1Ds. Drinking water — say, an 8oz. glass for every boozy drink — will dilute the alcohol in your bloodstream. If you’re drinking something sugary, like cheap white wine, the water will also help keep you from going too high. It might drive you high, it might drive you low: one way or another, alcohol is going to do funky stuff to your blood. To stay abreast of these changes, you should check your BGLs frequently. Make sure you’re with somebody who can keep an eye on you, and make sure they know a thing or two about T1D. They should be able to i Continue reading >>
