The increase in blood sugar levels gives way to hyperglycemia, or too-high blood sugar. This can cause a host of symptoms, from thirst and frequent urination to slow-healing wounds and disorientation. This happens when the body doesn’t produce enough insulin or does not respond to insulin as it should. Your healthcare provider can best determine what’s right for you. But if you do drink, know that not all alcoholic beverages are created equal when it comes to diabetes. Living with diabetes does not necessarily mean you have to avoid alcohol completely.

• View a list of calories and carbohydrates in popular alcoholic beverages on A Look at your Liquor.
• Alcohol abuse can worsen many diabetes-related medical complications such as eye disease, nerve damage, and fat metabolism.
• However, there are some important safety considerations for people with diabetes.
• Its high caloric content can also increase your appetite, making it harder to stick to a healthy diet and causing you to feel hungry even if you’ve just eaten.

If blood sugar is too low, to drink safely it is best to have a snack. 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. In fact, some evidence shows that many people with type 2 diabetes can safely enjoy drinking alcoholic beverages.

Alcohol and Risk of Low Blood Sugar

Additionally, alcohol stimulates a constant release of pain-controlling hormones, further increasing pain responses as the signalling pathway is intensified. In diabetes and alcohol type 1 diabetics, a very small volume of alcohol is required to trigger hypoglycemia, especially on an empty stomach, which usually occurs 24 hours later.

Once you have had your drink, switch to a non-alcoholic drink, such as sparkling water, for the rest of the evening. The editors at Health are a dedicated team of experienced health editors, writers, and other media professionals who strive to bring trustworthy and responsible health and medical content to their readers. As a team, we have decades of experience in health journalism and have worked at legacy publishers and some of the biggest news and media companies in the U.S.

Diabetes-Friendly Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup

If you have diabetes, your blood pressure is already at an increased risk. Drinking alcohol can make diabetes disease control harder to keep at bay, which can lead to serious health problems such as a stroke. It can cause pain, tingling, or numbness in the hands and feet. Drinking alcohol can intensify https://ecosoberhouse.com/ these symptoms as well as make them more difficult to treat. For others, it can lead to a range of serious consequences, including alcohol abuse, addiction, DUI charges, or health problems. However, for those with diabetes, following this rule may allow for more alcohol than your body can take.

This is because alcohol contains calories, which the liver converts into glucose. If you drink too much alcohol, it can raise your blood sugar levels. It’s important to consider the impact that drinking might have on blood sugar levels and whether it will cause hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar. Drinking water or other non-caloric beverages between alcoholic drinks may help prevent blood sugar levels from dropping during or after drinking sessions. With all of this in mind, the risks of drinking alcohol when you have type 2 diabetes may outweigh any benefits.