My Uncle has Type 2 Diabetes......should he be drinking alcohol?

Question

He's 43 and he was just diagnosed last year. He's changed his diet and he excercises more and he seems to be contolling it, but everytime I see him he has a Miller Lite in his hand or some other kind of beer. I don't know much about diabetes but i'm trying to get better educated since a family member now has it. We have no family history of it and he's the first one in our family to get it. I'm just wondering would drinking affect his diabetes? I love my Uncle and want him around for many years to come!

To ketillo, The issue surrounding my concern is whether drinking will affect his diabetes in some way. I KNOW he's a GROWN man and I KNOW the decision is up to him if he wants to drink. That's not my question so why you keep harping on that is beyond me. I'm trying to figure out if the drinking will make his condition worse. You make it sound like I'm trying to tell a grown man what to do and that's not the case! You should really think before you answer because you sound rather annoying.

Answer 1

Even though alcohol has carbs, those carbs LOWER your blood sugar.
I know it sounds strange to those not well educated in control of diabetes.
The important thing is to drink in moderation,make sure to check sugars often and always eat while drinking to avoid a very low sugar.
Now if you are having a sweet mixer with your drink, those carbs will raise you sugar.Make sure to count them and adjust for them.
People who die from alcohol poisoning die because their sugar gets too low- even without diabetes.
There are some good links posted here that should help give you the facts.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

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Answer 4

No he most deffintley should NOT be drinking alcohol.
Unfortunately that does not stop people from drinking though.
Diabetic or not...Young or old..Alcohol is still not the best thing for anyone. But it's alright to drink once and a while but being a diabetic and drinking can be quite dangerous.
He needs to be very,very careful and limit it.

This link to a website may help you and your uncle. You really should talk to him, and maybe share some of this information with him. Best of luck to the both of you!

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

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Answer 5

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Answer 6

There are carbs in beer but lite beer is better for a diabetic. Moderation is the key. His doctor should have let him know how many carbs he can have and if he is testing himself on a regular basis he can see the effects. Part of the problem is what people eat when drinking that can also raise blood sugar. What happens is that the blood vessels no longer do their job - leads to amputations - and the eyes become weaker. So these should be checked about every six months. His A1c levels should also be checked; it is a long term (3 months) number that is unlike his daily readings.

Ask to see his log book. See if you can pick out which days he was drinking from the days he wasn't. The log book should also be a food diary but all he needs to record are the carbs. Carbs turn into sugar but they are not as bad if they are in high fiber foods. So a cereal with 20 carbs and 6 grams of fiber is better than a cereal with 15 carbs and no fiber.

Try to get him to exercise - that is my downfall.

Lots of info out there.

Answer 7

Very little. Beer is made from grains which equals carbohydrates and that converts to sugar.

So once or twice a week, probably OK. But If he is alcoholic and drinks a six pack a day it is VERY BAD.

His he really heavy? Weight is generally the beginning of diabetes.

My father in law died of cirrhosis (alcoholic) and we learned after the fact he was diabetic. As my husband is . We are continually working on exercise and diet. It is a challenging disease.

Good Luck, there is much to learn about diabetes on the Internet, start researching.

Answer 8

Diabetics can drink alcohol in moderation. Alcohol turns to sugar as it is metabolized, but not a lot of sugar. Especially light beer. I am diabetic and I have a beer with dinner once in a while and it doesn't raise my blood sugar at all.

I saw an interaction warning about alcohol that came with the drug I take, metformin. I asked both the doctor and the pharmacist about this and they both said that one or two drinks wouldn't affect me. And I find they don't.

I am not the kind of person who gets roaring, stinking drunk. That might have an effect, but a beer or two won't.

It's really good that your uncle is watching his blood sugar, eating more carefully, getting exercise, keeping in control. If he cares that much, if he's measuring his blood sugar, then he would know if beer affects him. Obviously it doesn't. So don't worry about it.

Answer 9

Diabeties can occur simply because a person has high cholesteral and obesity. I'm sure that his doctor has told him that he cannot drink alchohol. Just as they told me. As soon as my weight dropped to below 175, I no longer tested high. My cholesterol also dropped to below 180. My brother-in-law didn't heed the warnings and he died from massive kidney failure. His liver started to fail as well. It is very hard to stop drinking especially if it's something that you have done for years. I'm having that problem too. With todays economy, it's hard to keep from turning to alchohol. It just about kills me when I'm around my friends and they are drinking. So, I don't go there any more. It's even harder to be alone. From the research I've done, it appears that almost everyone gets type 2 diabeties as age progresses, and our activity level decreases. They don't give an honest answer as to why. Go to webmd and look it up, it might help you to understand diabeties and help you with some suggestions for how to explain to him the real dangers. If he loves life, he'll see that you are right and see the error of his ways. Good luck, Max

Answer 10

Explain your concerns to him and encourage him to talk to his doctor. The doctor may say that a beer now and then isn't a big deal. then it is up to your uncle to monitor himself with the alcohol.

I had gestational diabetes when I was pregnant. It's very similar to Type II diabetes. The doctor told me that it wasn't that I had to completely avoid foods that I love, but I had to eat them in moderation and really think about what I wanted more. If my sugars were good after eating dinner and I wanted a piece of cake for dessert, the doctor (and my nutritionist) said to go for it as long as it wasn't a huge piece. It's all about moderation.