Diabetes Care Diabetics And Alcohol

If you have diabetes and love your drink, diabetes care can be a real pain. But if you are unfortunate to have diabetes but fortunate to have diabetes type II instead of diabetes type I, then diabetes care can be a bit easier and you will have had a lucky escape because in most cases, people suffering from diabetes type II can still consume minor amounts of alcohol. The emphasis of course, is on the word; ‘in most cases’. There are instances when diabetes care for type II may not permit any alcohol consumption. Some of these instances are:

* Diabetes with instances of high blood pressure * Diabetes induced eye problem * Elevated levels of triglycerides * Damaged nerves in the limbs

Alcohol, Diabetes and Nerve Damage

Diabetes care stipulates that if a diabetic person suffers from nerve damage, alcohol consumption will aggravate the problems caused by nerve damage. Alcohol will increase pain, heighten burning sensation caused due to nerve damage, induce numbness and increase tingling sensations. If you are to take diabetes care seriously, you need to avoid alcohol consumption at all costs.

Alcohol, Diabetes and Eye Damage

Alcohol is closely linked with glucose tolerance which in turn, is closely linked with blood pressure. Diabetics care will inform you that as the blood pressure goes up, the pressure within the eye ball increases to the extent that you run the risk of rupturing blood vessels in the eye ball. Should this happen, you will suffer permanent damage to the eyes.

Alcohol, Diabetes and Triglycerides

Alcohol is high on calories but low on nutrients. Alcohol confuses the liver and it produces more triglycerides. In a normal healthy adult this would not be such a big problem but in diabetics it is a big problem due the weak internal organs. For this reason, diabetics care recommends you do not consume alcohol because alcohol interferes with the liver’s ability to metabolize fat. Even moderate consumption of alcohol will cause the liver to produce more triglycerides which can be very toxic to most diabetics.

Alcohol, Diabetes and Hypoglycemia

When a person with diabetes drinks alcohol, the liver instead of doing its usual duty of producing glucose, works overtime to rid the body of the alcohol which it considers as a toxin. Remember that the liver of a diabetic is not as strong as the liver of a healthy individual. Therefore, it takes longer than usual to detoxify the body of alcohol. During this time, there is absolutely no production of glucose. The reason diabetes care recommends that a diabetic does not consume alcohol is because lack of glucose over extended periods of time (several hours) will lead to hypoglycemia or low blood sugar which can lead to coma and even death.

If the family physician who is aware of your diabetic condition does not prohibit you from consuming moderate amounts of alcohol, diabetics care recommends that you consume alcohol along with a healthy snack such as a sandwich. It is also a good idea to check your blood sugar levels approx one hour after you consumed alcohol.

Check out also for Type 2 diabetes information and Type 2 diabetes symptoms