Drinking with Diabetes

When it comes to drinking alcoholic beverages many people don’t fully understand how alcohol affects their bodies and exactly what they’re consuming. Take for example a can of beer. With 154 calories, beer actually has more calories than a can of cola! So if you need to lose weight, you may have to cut back on alcohol altogether.

Moreover, when you add diabetes into this equation, things can get a little tricky. Though the American Diabetes Association suggests that people with diabetes should follow the same guidelines as those without diabetes, they should consult with their physician or diabetes educator to know their limits.^[1] In addition to gender, age, and health, medications should also be carefully reviewed, because there could be an adverse effect when mixing diabetes medication with alcohol.

If you are going to partake in a drink here or there, be sure to look out for cases of hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia can occur while drinking because of the extra work your liver performs.^[2] In addition to its regular function of regulating your blood sugar, when you drink your liver also tries to expel alcoholic toxins from your body.^[3] This additional stress to the liver is what can cause a hypo.

To complicate matters, symptoms of hypoglycemia and feeling tipsy can be similar. For example, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Health Information Center lists 16 mild to moderate symptoms of hypoglycemia, including: headaches, dizziness, and an irregular heartbeat.^[4]

In the event of a hypo, if you do not take the necessary steps fast enough, it could lead to a medical emergency. So be sure you alert your friends. Furthermore, make sure you have snacks readily available and that you use the Dario™ Blood Glucose Monitoring System to monitor your pre- and post-drink levels and that your emergency contact details are updated. As you know the Dario BGM can create a text message that you can easily send to your family or whomever you decide as your help, which you can send if your blood glucose levels falls into a critical zone.

Finally, enjoy your drink! That’s right, drinking slowly and adding in a zero calorie drink to offset the alcohol intake might make all the difference.^[5] Remember when in doubt, always err on the side of caution.