Nevertheless, it would be wise for GLP-1 users to remain careful with alcohol. Drugs in the GLP-1 family, including semaglutide and tirzepatide, are known to provoke vomiting — just like excessive drinking. This alcohol-induced hypoglycemia may have a delayed effect, hitting you after you’ve stopped drinking, possibly after you’ve fallen https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/5-tips-of-how-to-maintain-recovery-motivation/ asleep, or even during the next day. Drinking alcohol can be an especially dangerous activity for people with diabetes — here’s why. Your risk of having a hypo doesn’t go away after you stop drinking – it increases, and can last up to 24 hours. Alcohol can also affect diabetic nerve damage, eye disease, and high blood triglycerides.
- First, alcohol likely stimulates the generation of VLDL particles in the liver, which are rich in triglycerides.
- Further research is also needed to understand the effects of cannabis on diabetes outcomes and to develop evidence-based guidelines for its use in this population.
- It found moderate consumption appeared to offer some protection against the condition in women and Asian populations, while heavy consumption raised the risk in almost all groups.
- If you have a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) or an insulin pump, make sure it’s working properly and has sufficiently charged batteries.
Higher Blood Pressure
- Drinking, especially heavy drinking, can lead to high blood pressure.
- Drinking is individualized and there’s no universal rule for how to do it safely when you live with diabetes.
- For instance, a standard 5-ounce (150-mL) glass of white wine also provides 3.8 grams of carbs (22).
- If you have questions about your drinking or you feel like you should be drinking less because of your diabetes but you can’t stop, talk to your doctor.
If you’re indulging in cocktails, one tactic to stick to the recommended one drink is to start with a mixed drink using sugar free mixers, and then switch to a straight up mixer only. The good news, according to Dr. Pettus, is that the myth that rescue glucagon won’t work at all when you are drunk is just that, a myth. Still, something is better than nothing, so check to ensure your emergency glucagon isn’t expired, and carry it with you when you’re out drinking. Alcohol gets a bad rap for a lot of reasons, but does it really raise your risk of diabetes? Nearly 1 in every 10 Americans develops diabetes, most of which is type 2 diabetes.
How the Body Metabolizes Alcohol
These are two people who had false-positive tests because they had diabetes. I think it’s important that we realize that this can happen, and we need to help our patients deal with these situations. I’m going to tell you the story of two patients with diabetes who had false-positive alcohol tests. People with diabetes can reduce their risk of health complications by following a diabetes-friendly diet.
Alcohol and Carbohydrate Content
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. Your body processes alcohol differently than most foods and beverages. And if you have type 2 diabetes, drinking alcohol may have some benefits—such as lowering glucose levels in the blood—and some real risks, like driving glucose levels down too low.
The liver is also responsible for breaking down alcohol so the kidneys can flush it out of the body. A 2015 meta-analysis reviewed 38 cohort studies to determine whether alcohol is a risk factor can diabetics get drunk for diabetes. It found moderate consumption appeared to offer some protection against the condition in women and Asian populations, while heavy consumption raised the risk in almost all groups.
- Accordingly, these medications help control blood sugar levels without causing hypoglycemia.
- At that point, when a deficit in insulin secretion is combined with a state of insulin resistance, the person develops type 2 diabetes.
- This roller coaster is caused by the fact that many alcoholic drinks contain blood sugar-raising carbs, combined with the fact that alcohol — by itself — lowers blood sugar.
- One limitation of this research is that it relied on self-reports from people, and people may not be fully transparent about how much alcohol they drink.
Accordingly, it promotes gluconeogenesis and the breakdown of glycogen into glucose. The risk of hypoglycemia is why experts advise people with diabetes not to drink alcohol if their blood sugar is already low. If a person chooses to drink, they should always eat at the same time and include carbohydrates, such as fruits, vegetables, or grains, in their meal. In fact, some evidence shows that many people with type 2 diabetes can safely enjoy drinking alcoholic beverages, and it may even bring about some benefits.
