It's unrealistic to think that everyone with diabetes must only
eat and drink what is good for them. We all need a little bit of badness
in our lives and this often comes from a drink or two (or three, or
four, or more!). But if you have insulin dependent diabetes it can be a
difficult thing to get right.
Diabetes and alcohol have a very odd relationship that isn't easily controlled but with a little knowledge of the science behind it and a solid handle on how your diabetes reacts to it you should find that you can enjoy alcohol without worrying about any dangerous after effects.
Alcoholic drinks contain varying amounts of alcohol and sugar and so different drinks will have different effects on your blood sugar, some will cause a large rise, others barely any at all. The biggest side effect to consider is that alcohol can cause delayed hypos because of it's ability to temporarily impair your liver's primary function -- blood-sugar regulation. The way that alcohol affects you personally can only be discovered by monitoring the effect it has on your blood-glucose levels.
First, the obvious stuff: the healthy (recommended) limits for alcohol are
Up to 3-4 units a day for men
Up to 2-3 units a day for women
(1 unit = 1/2 pint of beer, 1 small glass of wine or 1 pub measure (25ml) of spirits). I'd also recommend that you have at least 2 alcohol free days per week.
Obviously there are going to be times when you drink more than this but it's still worth noting and using as a solid foundation.
Secondly, there is no "good" drink to have. Choose what you want based on what you like, not on some hearsay that its better for your diabetes. I was once told that pilsner beer was a better choice for diabetics because it was "low sugar". I have one word for that little nugget of wisdom, bollocks. Alcohol is not good for you but that's not why people drink it. It's main attraction and enjoyment lies in altering the consciousness to a small or large degree. It might not be good for the body but it can be good for the soul (let's be clear, I'm not advocating going out and getting trashed all day. I'm just looking at it realistically).
Carb contents
Wine - 0g per glass
Spirits - 5g per glass
Beer/Lager/Stout/Cider - 10g per pint
Alcopops - 20g per bottle
Liqueurs - 5g per measure
Non alcoholic drinks contain only carbohydrate and are similar to drinking normal sugary drinks (ie coke). They will only increase your blood sugar and aren't a great choice if you have diabetes (plus they taste terrible!)
There are lots of strategies you can employ to keep a balanced blood sugar. One of the most common is to take no action for the for the first 10g of carbs then take 1/2 unit of insulin for every 10g of carbs in alcohol thereafter. This is all well and good but if you use MDI therapy you'll end up taking loads of injections on a night out! No fun, ultra annoying. It can work better for pump users but even then I'm not a big fan of it.
Let's assume that you know your background insulin is correct and that your carb ratios are also stable. I'll share with you my method that I've found, for me, is very reliable.
The general pattern with alcohol is that when you are drinking your blood sugar will go up, sometimes quite high. Then several hours later it will come right back down again almost by itself (the delayed hypo effect). If you know this you can plan ahead. If you drink less than 2 units of wine/sprits or 1 unit of beer you should find that you need take no action at all.
So here's what I normally do. My MDI regime is 2x doses of Levemir coupled with novorapid for meals. On a normal night out i'd have 3-4 drinks (usually lager and sometimes a hot port!)
I'll test when i get home and i'll usually see that this combination will elevate my levels up into double figures and possibly up to 14 mmol. Now the initial thought would be to take novorapid to correct the high, but this would be a mistake as it is a false reading. Remembering the late onset hypo risk I will consume 25-35g of carbs before i go to bed without a bolus of novorapid. By the time I test again in the morning, around 7:30-8:00am, my levels should be between 6-8 mmol. The extra carbs have countered the blood-sugar lowering effect of the alcohol and prevented any serious lows. The following morning I have always found that my insulin sensitivity increases and I'll need 10-20% less insulin to cover any breakfast carbs (this effect can sometimes last beyond midday as well)
This is a method that works well and means you can enjoy your social life without diabetes being a big part of it. Follow a few simple rules:
"To alcohol, the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems!"
Homer Simpson
Enjoy your health (and cheers!)
Chris
YD
Diabetes and alcohol have a very odd relationship that isn't easily controlled but with a little knowledge of the science behind it and a solid handle on how your diabetes reacts to it you should find that you can enjoy alcohol without worrying about any dangerous after effects.
Alcoholic drinks contain varying amounts of alcohol and sugar and so different drinks will have different effects on your blood sugar, some will cause a large rise, others barely any at all. The biggest side effect to consider is that alcohol can cause delayed hypos because of it's ability to temporarily impair your liver's primary function -- blood-sugar regulation. The way that alcohol affects you personally can only be discovered by monitoring the effect it has on your blood-glucose levels.
First, the obvious stuff: the healthy (recommended) limits for alcohol are
Up to 3-4 units a day for men
Up to 2-3 units a day for women
(1 unit = 1/2 pint of beer, 1 small glass of wine or 1 pub measure (25ml) of spirits). I'd also recommend that you have at least 2 alcohol free days per week.
Obviously there are going to be times when you drink more than this but it's still worth noting and using as a solid foundation.
Secondly, there is no "good" drink to have. Choose what you want based on what you like, not on some hearsay that its better for your diabetes. I was once told that pilsner beer was a better choice for diabetics because it was "low sugar". I have one word for that little nugget of wisdom, bollocks. Alcohol is not good for you but that's not why people drink it. It's main attraction and enjoyment lies in altering the consciousness to a small or large degree. It might not be good for the body but it can be good for the soul (let's be clear, I'm not advocating going out and getting trashed all day. I'm just looking at it realistically).
Carb contents
Wine - 0g per glass
Spirits - 5g per glass
Beer/Lager/Stout/Cider - 10g per pint
Alcopops - 20g per bottle
Liqueurs - 5g per measure
Non alcoholic drinks contain only carbohydrate and are similar to drinking normal sugary drinks (ie coke). They will only increase your blood sugar and aren't a great choice if you have diabetes (plus they taste terrible!)
There are lots of strategies you can employ to keep a balanced blood sugar. One of the most common is to take no action for the for the first 10g of carbs then take 1/2 unit of insulin for every 10g of carbs in alcohol thereafter. This is all well and good but if you use MDI therapy you'll end up taking loads of injections on a night out! No fun, ultra annoying. It can work better for pump users but even then I'm not a big fan of it.
Let's assume that you know your background insulin is correct and that your carb ratios are also stable. I'll share with you my method that I've found, for me, is very reliable.
The general pattern with alcohol is that when you are drinking your blood sugar will go up, sometimes quite high. Then several hours later it will come right back down again almost by itself (the delayed hypo effect). If you know this you can plan ahead. If you drink less than 2 units of wine/sprits or 1 unit of beer you should find that you need take no action at all.
So here's what I normally do. My MDI regime is 2x doses of Levemir coupled with novorapid for meals. On a normal night out i'd have 3-4 drinks (usually lager and sometimes a hot port!)
I'll test when i get home and i'll usually see that this combination will elevate my levels up into double figures and possibly up to 14 mmol. Now the initial thought would be to take novorapid to correct the high, but this would be a mistake as it is a false reading. Remembering the late onset hypo risk I will consume 25-35g of carbs before i go to bed without a bolus of novorapid. By the time I test again in the morning, around 7:30-8:00am, my levels should be between 6-8 mmol. The extra carbs have countered the blood-sugar lowering effect of the alcohol and prevented any serious lows. The following morning I have always found that my insulin sensitivity increases and I'll need 10-20% less insulin to cover any breakfast carbs (this effect can sometimes last beyond midday as well)
This is a method that works well and means you can enjoy your social life without diabetes being a big part of it. Follow a few simple rules:
- get to know your own reactions to alcohol by testing, recording the results and identifying patterns.
- expect hypos, that way you'll guard against them. Also try not to exercise before you drink, the blood-sugar lowering effect will be amplified.
- don't overdo it. The more alcohol you consume, the more unpredictable the outcome is. And having a hypo is much harder to identify or deal with if you've been impaired by drinking too much.
"To alcohol, the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems!"
Homer Simpson
Enjoy your health (and cheers!)
Chris
YD
Chris Loughrey is the founder and head coach of http://www.yourdiabetes.co. A personalized diabetes coaching service.
Chris is a fully qualified diabetes coach & personal trainer and has had type 1 diabetes for over 10 years. He specializes in teaching you the skills needed to live a healthier, happier life with diabetes.
So if you want to achieve rock-solid blood sugar control or if you want to train safely and effectively for your favorite sport, visit http://www.yourdiabetes.co/diabetes-coaching.php today to see how diabetes coaching can benefit you!
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Loughrey
Chris is a fully qualified diabetes coach & personal trainer and has had type 1 diabetes for over 10 years. He specializes in teaching you the skills needed to live a healthier, happier life with diabetes.
So if you want to achieve rock-solid blood sugar control or if you want to train safely and effectively for your favorite sport, visit http://www.yourdiabetes.co/diabetes-coaching.php today to see how diabetes coaching can benefit you!
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