It is a shock when you are first diagnosed with diabetes because it is a life changing event. Diabetes has no cure and this means that you will have to treat the disease for the rest of your life.
Treating the disease involves watching your blood sugar levels each day. You may also have to inject insulin or take pills to make your body more responsive to naturally occurring insulin. You should get regular exercise. You must take more notice over what you eat and drink.
Apart from the responsibility of having to take control of your blood sugar level, being strict about what you can and can’t eat seems the hardest thing to get used to. Most people enjoy eating and drinking and a restriction on this can seem very unfair. However, after some initial adjustment, creating tasty and interest diabetic food is quite easy.
A question that often crops up is the relationship between alcohol and diabetes. Can a diabetic consume alcohol like somebody without the disease and what affect does alcohol have on the body. This article will cover some of these issues and discuss diabetes and alcohol consumption.
There is no restriction on consuming alcohol for a diabetic provided it is in moderation. Many alcohol beverages will have lots of calories and sugar in them. This has two effects. It will increase the blood sugar immediately and promote weight gain over the long term. Being overweight or putting on weight increases the chances of having other complications as a result of diabetes. Most doctors will advise diabetics to lose weight or keep their weight within a specific range of this.
After drinking alcohol, the liver will control the processing of it. One ounce of alcohol will take approximately two hours to completely metabolize. This depends on the size of the person and their physical fitness. During this time the liver stops making glucose.
Whilst this happens, there is a chance that the blood sugar level can become low. A person with low blood sugar may be hypoglycemic. Hypoglycemic people often feel tired or light headed. They may even pass out if the blood sugar is very low. This is why you should never drink on an empty stomach.
Alcohol and diabetes can be controlled if you eat a small meal or snack before starting to drink. This will allow the liver to create some glucose and it will enter the bloodstream before any alcohol enters the body. This should ensure that a person doesn’t get hypoglycemic. If you take any medication for diabetes then you shouldn’t drink until around 2 hours afterwards.
Avoid drinking excessively. Apart from the negative affects that alcohol can have on your body, it will make it harder for you to keep a constant blood sugar level. Keeping your blood sugar level constant is important over time because it decreases the chances of diabetic complications, like poor circulation, nerve damage and cardiovascular problems occurring.
A glass of wine with dinner is fine. A few drinks as part of a celebration of some sort is also fine. As you grow used to treating your diabetes you will know how your body reacts in various situations. This can help you to know when and how much alcohol you can consume.
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Learn more about health problems caused by type 2 diabetes and how the diabetic glycemic food index can help control your blood sugar level.
