Who still believes that drinking alcohol raises a diabetic's blood glucose?

Question

After reading these statements taken from reputable websites:

“While moderate amount of alcohol can cause blood sugar to rise, excess alcohol can actually decrease your blood sugar level -- sometimes causing it to drop into dangerous levels.”

“Small Amounts of Alcohol Slightly Increases Risk of Low Blood Sugar in Certain Diabetics.”

Webmd.com

“Hypoglycemia Causes:

Common causes of low blood sugar include the following:

Overmedication with insulin or antidiabetic pills

Use of alcohol”

Emedicine.com

And, finally, the American Diabetes Association says:

“This is why drinking as little as 2 ounces of alcohol (about 2 drinks) on an empty stomach can lead to very low blood sugar.”

http://www.diabetes.org/type-1-diabetes/alcohol.jsp

A heterogeneous bunch of answers, so far. I'm not totally convinced of this myself, but the explanation given by the American Diabetes Association makes more sense than the positions taken by those of you who don't have any reinforcement other than hearsay evidence. Come on, you guys... cough up some science.

Answer 1

I don't believe it raises blood sugar. Not only does it not raise the blood sugar levels for my husby or me (both Type II), but my husby the biologist states, "One, alcohol is NOT a sugar (yes it contains carbs, but check the label - very little) and two, alcohol enhances insulin activity."

Answer 2

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Answer 3

I can't say im conviced by the theory put forward by the diabetes association. it seems to indicate that the liver can't do two things at once, what is it? A Blonde?. the liver realy is a remarkable organ. I remember about 20 years ago a Japanese team drew up plans for a factory to replicate the processes of the liver and it would have been 5 acres in size!

There is a known link between hypoglycemia and alcoholism, but it seems that treating the hypoglycemia helps the alcoholism moreso than the than the other way around.

Considering that alcohol is merely fermented sugar I wouldn't discount any relationship between the two. William Duffy in "The Sugar Blues" states that many reformed alcoholics turn to drinking copious amounts of soft drinks in place of the alcohol.

Getting slightly off track, I saw a doco years ago that claimed that it wasn't the alcohol that got you intoxicated, but the byproduct as your liver breaks it down. That would explain why seasoned drinkers require more to get drunk than others, their liver is not breaking down the alcohol as efficiently. I've never seen the claim repeated anywhere else though.

Probably doesnt answer the question, but I havn't posted in a while.
Cheers

Answer 4

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Answer 5

It's real funny when non-Witnesses think they can explain to Jehovah's Witnesses what it means to be a Witness. It's ludicrous. Our stand is based on God's World, the Holy Bible, both "Old" and "New" Testaments. Christians are specifically advised to "abstain from blood" at Acts 15:28, 29. What is given there is not an "OT blood rule," but the counsel of the Holy Spirit and the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. What diabetics do in testing their glucose levels might be compared with the case of a person who inadvertently bit the iniside of the mouth and swallowed a bit of blood. Abstaining from blood is not reduced to the level of absurdity, and it is only strange people, not Jehovah's Witnesses, who would think otherwise. Since everybody dies in this system of things, I don't know what sort of "individual waivers" can protect a person from death. But you are making the totally unwarranted assumption that a blood transfusion is always lifesaving, or that there are no safe, lifesaving alternatives to blood. Both are false. Blood transfusions are no guarantee, and many safe alternatives to blood exist, alternatives which also save lives.

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Answer 6

Here goes. Alcohol contains carbs. Carbs raise sugar. Thus an increase. However, alcohol impairs liver function. One function of the liver is to respond to glucagon to make sugar from glycogen. If the liver is busy detoxing alcohol (and for purposes of sugar lowering, it doesn't need to be much alcohol), then the liver can't make the sugar it needs to. This is why if you drink alcohol on an empty stomach, you'll most likely experience a low sugar, and thus the recomendation that if you drink any alcohol, don't do so on an empty stomach.

Answer 7

well drinking excess alcohol is bad, now if at all you want to drink dilute 90% with water and drink. This will not only dilute sugar but also give u a feeling that u had ur fill of quota, and immediately have food. Even better have alcohol after food.

Answer 8

Although I normally agree/side with you...I think this one is bull.

Drinking alcohol does lots of stuff to mess up your body, including raising the blood sugar. Of this I'm certain.

However, every now and then some random study comes along to say a generally bad food can be good for your health in one specific situation (ie chocolate), and as a result it helps the wounded ego of whoever engages in the bad habit, and they just cite the study to justify what they do.
I personally feel alcohol lowering blood sugar falls into this model as well, given my past understanding of what it does to your system.

Correct me if I have anything blatantly wrong :P

Answer 9

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Answer 10

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