Does alcohol effect blood sugar?

Question

I know alcohol can lower blood sugar and cause hypoglycaemia, but does it act like a sugar.

Answer 1

Since when can it LOWER blood sugar levels?.......be careful, I think its the reverse. There is a lot of sugar in alcohol.....yes???

Answer 2

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Answer 3

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Answer 4

Yes alcohol does effect blood sugar but not really like sugar. Most alcoholic drinks contain sugar, and these put your blood sugar up. But the problem with it and hypos is firstly that it can lower blood sugar, and worse that it can stop your liver putting out glucose if you're hypo and don't realise (eg. when you're asleep). The story goes that if you have a hypo and don't eat in time, your liver releases sugar to put it back up. It releases too much and that's why you can get a hypo rebound and what might have happened if you wake up in the morning with really high blood sugar and feeling like you've been hit by a bus - all the hormones it messes with makes you feel shocking. Anyway apparently if you've been drinking your liver is "busy" (yes it was a dr who told me this!) dealing with the alcohol so it doesn't notice that you're hypo and so won't correct it itself if you sleep through it or don't notice it - this can be really dangerous and has occasionally killed people (dead in bed syndrome kills about 25 young people with diabetes a year). So the moral of the story is always eat a long acting carb snack before bed if you've been drinking and check your blood sugar regularly! Hope that helps xx

Answer 5

Yes it causes hypos.

I drink vodka and diet coke. No carbohydrate in that, but I have to make sure blood sugar is a little higher than normal otherwise I always go hypo.

I ususally need to have a pure orange juice at about 9.30 - 10.00 pm to keep blood sugars up. I also need to have a banana or something when I get home, or I wake up feeling really drunk (or in other words very hypo!)

This low blood sugar thing is also demonstrated by people are always craving all sorts of stodgy fattening food the next morning - ' the hangover cure' - why do they crave it? Their blood sugar is low that's why!

Answer 6

From my own experience, alcohol is high in calories, and may cause an initial increase in blood sugar. But I agree whioleheartedly that alcohol will often lower blood sugar over a period of 8 or so hours.

Answer 7

Yes it turns into sugar in your body, I don't think it turns out to cause hypoglycaemia because hypoglycaemia does not have sugar that much, and alcohol turns into sugar in your body.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

the hard stuff, vodka, gin, whiskey... have enough calories to counter act the lowering affect of alcohol. I personally have never had to take an insulin injection with hard alcohol straight or with diet coke. Beer, mixed drinks and anything flavored ALWAYS make my blood sugar high, and since they never say exactly how many calories are in them at the bar (sorrry no calorie guide posted in bars) I just stay away from them. Pass me a shot, no injection necessary :)

Answer 10

Of course it does as most spirits and drinks(especially cider)are absolutely full of sugar.It also causes you to pile on lots of weight.Up until 2004 i had a bad drink problem which had slowly progressed from early 1999. When i started drinking i was 7st 6lb and after those five years i went up to nearly 12st which,although i am back down to nearly 9st,it was really hard to shift the pounds.When you are diabetic,that's assuming you are,weight gain is a problem you really don't need as diabetes brings lots of known illness's along with it anyway.My aunt is suffering with gangreen in her foot right now and her diabetes wasn't that bad(she was never a daily insulin injector).My advice is stay clear of alcohol as its a substance the body can do with out in any consumed amount,its no good for you

Answer 11

I think it depends on what kind of alcohol, beer being high in carbs raises my blood sugar however if I drink something like a rum and diet soda, my sugars stay pretty good