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Alcohol can cause blood sugar levels to rise and fall rapidly, worsen complications of diabetes, and affect the liver’s ability to maintain blood sugar levels. Diabetics can have a few drinks per day, but excessive consumption can lead to life-threatening insulin shock. Checking blood sugar levels before and after drinking is recommended.
The effects of alcohol on diabetes generally include rapidly rising and falling blood sugar levels along with worsening most other complications of diabetes. Some problems that many diabetics face that alcohol can negatively affect are clogged arteries and nerve damage. Alcohol could also cause blood sugar medications to work incorrectly, which could result in dangerously low blood sugar levels. Alcoholic beverages that are too sugary, such as daiquiris and dessert-type drinks, can also cause blood sugar levels to rise too high. It is important for diabetics to always be aware of what they are eating, and getting too drunk can lead to poor judgment regarding food choices that could cause life-threatening problems.
Although the effects of alcohol on diabetes are potentially dangerous, doctors don’t always tell diabetic patients that alcohol is off limits. Most people with diabetes can have a few alcoholic drinks per day unless otherwise directed by their doctor. For diabetic men, it is not recommended to have more than two drinks a day. Women are generally advised not to have more than one drink per day. Diabetics who consume alcohol are generally advised to drink very slowly and only with meals.
Blood sugar levels are one of the main negative effects of alcohol in diabetes. When a person drinks, the liver has to work harder than normal to get alcohol out of the bloodstream. It takes the liver longer to do this with alcohol than with food. When a diabetic person drinks, his liver spends too much time working to remove alcohol from the blood and neglects the important job of maintaining blood sugar levels.
Diabetics who have very low blood sugar levels can go into insulin shock, which is often life-threatening. If a diabetic drinks too much and then passes out as a result of insulin shock, the people around them may believe that they passed out because they are intoxicated and do not realize that something serious is wrong. This could mean that the diabetic in question will not receive the medical attention that he needs, and there could be a possibility that he may die. This is one of the main reasons why excessive alcohol consumption can be so dangerous for diabetics, especially when the diabetic is around people who do not understand their condition.
The effects of alcohol on diabetes medications are also important for a diabetic to consider before having a drink. Most diabetes medicines are designed to lower high blood sugar levels. When a diabetic drinks alcohol, their blood sugar levels often drop below normal. When this is combined with diabetes medications, levels can get too low. Most doctors recommend checking blood sugar levels before, during, and after consuming an alcoholic beverage, and this is even more important for diabetics who take medication.
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