Alcohol and Diabetes: Can Quitting Alcohol Reverse Diabetes?

There are two studies about if quitting alcohol reverses diabetes. According to one theory avoiding alcohol for a short duration can improve blood sugar levels, as per a current UK study. Quitting alcohol can safeguard us against other diseases that high blood sugar levels cause.

Does alcohol lower blood sugar levels?

According to another study, occasional alcohol drinking does not create high or low blood sugar; rather, it can be beneficial. But, regular intake of even a tiny quantity of alcohol impacts diabetes/ blood sugar levels.

Frequent urination, fatigue, more water intake, unclear vision, and headache are the common symptoms of diabetes.

Treatment for type 2 diabetes includes

• checking blood sugar levels,
• using insulin or medication when needed,
• eating a healthy,
• well-balanced diet,
• exercising,
• losing excess weight.

Along with these, you can try any Ayurvedic Supplement to Reverse Diabetes available in the market. This should help in closing your quest for the answer of does alcohol lower blood sugar levels?

What is alcohol and its different types?

An alcoholic drink is a drink that contains ethanol; Fermentation with the help of yeast in grains, fruits or other sources of sugar products. Alcohol can result in euphoria, talkativeness, drowsiness, respiratory depression, coma, or even death.

Experts classify alcohol into two major categories basis the process of its making. One is a Fermented Beverage, and the second is a Distilled Beverage.

As the names suggest, fermented beverage undergoes the fermentation process and are lower in alcohol content. They are more approachable like beer, fermented grain, Wine of grapes, and Cider from fermenting fruits like apple and pear.

A distilled beverage is an alcoholic concentration left post separating water and flavoring liquid after completing the fermentation process. This category has more alcohol content than its counterpart.

Two categories of alcohol and their further subcategories:

Fermented Beverages:

• Beer – Lagers and Ales
• Cider
• Wine
• Red Wine White Wine 
  • Rose Wine (soft red varieties of grapes)
  • Sparkling Wine (Champagne and prosecco)
  • Fortified Wine 

Distilled Beverages:

• Liquor or Spirits 
• Vodka 
  • Brandy 
  • Gin 
  • Whiskey 
  • Tequila 
  • Rum 

Liqueurs (Below you will find a list of some of the most popular liqueur brands)

Others:

• Cocktail bitters
• Alcopops 

Glycemic Index of Alcohol

Glycemic index (GI) is a value used to measure how much specific food increases blood sugar levels. It indicates how the body digests a particular type of food and converts it into blood sugar (Glucose). The lower the GI of a specific food, the less it may affect your blood sugar levels, hence reducing obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.

Foods are classified as low, medium, or high glycemic food and ranked on a scale of 0–100. The table below will help further.

Low GI	Medium GI	High GI
55 or Less	56-69	70 and above

If we talk about alcoholic drinks, the Glycemic index of beer and non-alcoholic beer are a high GI food. The Glycemic index of whiskey is low (15 GI) and zero for vodka and wine due to the low carbohydrate content.

Can Alcohol Cause Diabetes?

Learning about diabetes is vital to answering this question. Diabetes occurs when the pancreas doesn’t produce insulin, or the insulin it makes doesn’t work. Insulin hormone transfers glucose from the blood to the cells to give the body energy. In diabetes, the body cannot make proper use of glucose and builds it up in the blood.

There are two main types of Diabetes: Type 1 (T1D) and Type 2 (T2D)

Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body cannot produce insulin because of genetic factors or some infection.

Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body can make some insulin but not enough as per need. It can happen because of genetic factors or because of dietary disorders.

A pre diabetic patient whose diabetes is at borderline or who is likely to enter the Type 2 diabetes bracket should be considerate about the cause and effect of alcohol in their body.

Early Detection of Diabetes:

There are specific symptoms of a diabetic patient, and early detection is the best way to control them:

• Frequent visits to the washroom
• Feeling thirsty most of the time
• Having an unclear vision
• Feeling hungry and consuming high quantity food
• Slow healing of cuts and soars

Many studies are there to understand the impact of alcohol on diabetes. Most of the results say moderate consumption of alcohol is acceptable for a non-diabetic or monitored diabetic patient, only after a proper recommendation from the doctor.

As per the American Diabetes Association recommendation, women should have not more than one alcoholic beverage per day, and men should consume no more than 2.

Alcohol Chart for Different Drinks

Beer	Wine	Brandy	Spirits
5%	12%	40%	40%

A moderate amount of alcohol may increase blood sugar level, whereas excessive alcohol can decrease blood sugar – which can be harmful to people with Type 1 diabetes. People with Type 1 diabetes must only drink while consuming food. So, eating is essential to avoid blood sugar dropping.

Heavy drinking may result in severe health consequences because of collecting certain acids in the body, particularly in people with diabetes.

Impact of on Diabetic:

Alcohol has an impact on diabetic patients indirectly.

• It increases the eating urge making a person overeat, further impacting the blood sugar level.
• Alcoholic drinks often have a lot of calories, causing obesity.
• It plays with the mind, forcing one to make the wrong choices of food items.
• It can interfere with the current medication treatment leading medicines to work less.
• Blood pressure can also fluctuate because of alcohol.
• Mixing different drinks with usual alcohol can also lead to an imbalance in the diet.
• Alcohol reduces metabolism, turning dinner or late snacks into the fat component.

Controlled drinking is the key to find a balance between drinking and quitting alcohol. While we know, beer is the most loved and consumed alcoholic drink. But, knowing about carb content when drinking beer is essential for type 1 diabetes.

Light beer has 3-6 grams of carbs per serving. Non-light beer has 10-15 grams of carbs. Most people don’t drink one bottle of beer (the alcohol content of beer is 4-7%). In those ways, one can always gain a lot of carbs, further endangering diabetes.

How can diabetes spike Blood sugar levels?

Blood sugar spikes occur in people with diabetes because they are unable to use insulin. Sugar remains in the bloodstream for such patience rather than reaching the cells. Untreated high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) is dangerous and can lead to heart disease, blindness, neuropathy, and kidney failure.

Symptoms of Blood sugar spike:

• Frequent urination
• Fatigue
• More water intake
• Unclear vision
• headache

There are ways to prevent blood sugar spikes:

• Get a professional meal plan developed
• Start weight loss/control program
• Start low glycemic index food
• Eat healthy meals

Alcohol raises blood sugar immediately, especially when mixed with juice and soda. But it can also low the sugar levels a few hours later.

But, the reverse of hyperglycemia is dangerous. Patients on insulin treatment for diabetes can develop low blood sugar levels. This is hypoglycemia.

Symptoms of hypoglycemia include:

• Slurring words
• Headache
• Double Vision
• Anxiety – Abnormal Behavior

Hypoglycemia’s symptoms are dangerous because people can think that you’re drunk and not understand the urgent medical help required. Also, it prevents the liver from making glucose when you drink on an empty stomach.

Not drinking an empty stomach and checking blood sugar are ways to avoid hypoglycemia. Also, check your blood sugar up to 24 hours, even when you stop drinking. People with diabetes or hypoglycemia need to avoid excessive amounts of alcohol.

Sugar content in beer is shallow, whereas distilled drinks like whiskey, rum, gin and vodka should not have sugar.

What are the risks of drinking alcohol?

As mentioned earlier, moderate alcohol consumption is acceptable but excessive consumption can take your body a toll. It has an impact on most of the parts of your body, leading to severe conditions.