The effect of alcohol on diabetics

Type 2 diabetes is considered a serious disease and is characterized, above all, by a violation of carbohydrate and fat metabolism, in which metabolic processes in the body or the process of toxins and toxins are disrupted. One of the important recommendations in the treatment of diabetes is the rejection of bad habits, including alcohol.

Every year the number of people with diabetes is growing in all countries of the world, and an important task in managing such patients is a healthy lifestyle - to move more, to drink enough clean water, to eat rationally, to stop using strong drinks, cigarettes and alcohol.

Why it is impossible to consume alcohol in diabetes?

In order to understand why it is impossible to take alcohol in diabetes, it is necessary to understand and have at least a small idea of ​​what a carbohydrate metabolism is and what effect alcohol has on diabetes.

The fact is that when carbohydrate metabolism, sugar, along with food, becomes glucose in the process of digestion, which is distributed in the body in two directions:

• One part of glucose goes to the vascular bed, circulating in blood and being a kind of strategic reserve. Normally, the amount of glucose in the blood should not exceed 5.5 mmol / liter.
• Another part is sent to the liver where, under the influence of complex biochemical processes, glucose is converted into glycogen, which is the source of energy. Glycogen in the liver is formed exactly as much as the cells of the body need for energy on the 1 day, not more. As soon as the glycogen reserve in the liver is depleted, the body again sends a dose of glucose dissolved in the blood to the liver.

Glucose reserves in the blood should not be below the norm, because in this case there is a state of hypoglycemia, for which characteristic signs are violations from almost all organs and systems. A person in a state of hypoglycemia is without control over where he does what, his behavior becomes inadequate, right up to loss of consciousness and epileptic seizures.

The use of alcohol in diabetes mellitus is fraught with the fact that blood sugar can fall below the norm, and this can happen if a person consumes medicinal sugar-reducing drugs. This is due to the fact that alcohol contained in alcoholic beverages prevents the release from the liver of the daily supply of glycogen necessary for cells to generate energy.

The use of alcohol in diabetes can worsen the condition of the pancreas and liver, provided that the alcohol is not of the best quality and contains fusel oils.

The most dangerous moment in the use of alcohol can be a time when a person may not notice the signs of a hypoglycemic condition that starts, being in a state of intoxication. It turns out that the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus and alcohol are things that are incompatible for life and health.

What kind of alcoholic drinks can I drink?

All alcoholic drinks are conventionally divided into 2 groups:

1. Alcohol with an alcohol content of 40% or more. These include vodka, gin, whiskey, cognac, rum. The dose of alcohol consumed should not exceed 50-100 g per day. It is desirable to eat these drinks with products containing carbohydrates( potatoes, sweets, white bread).
2. Drinks containing a different amount of alcohol( less than 40%), but differing in the concentration of sugar. A single dose of such drinks should not exceed 150-300 g, and it is necessary to pay attention to the sugar content in these drinks.

When you consume all alcoholic beverages, you must remember that a reaction to alcohol can occur several hours after ingestion.

How to take alcohol?

In theory, it seems like everything is clear, but in life we ​​face daily people who in some situations can not refuse alcohol or publicly say that they are diabetics( they can not drink alcohol).Among people with diabetes, there are well-known politicians, businessmen, and people whose public activities are connected with a large number of people.

That's why you need to know about the rules for taking alcoholic beverages, which are as follows:

• Take alcoholic beverages no more than 2 times a day in small portions, and the frequency of reception should be no more than 2 times a week. The standard dose of alcohol, which can be taken for 1 time, is 50 grams of vodka( 150 ml of wine or 300 beers).
• Those patients who receive insulin, it is necessary to reduce its dose after drinking alcohol. Before going to bed, you need to measure the amount of glucose in your blood.
• To consume alcoholic beverages in doses exceeding the standard, it is possible only for those patients who have a good compensation for excess glucose in the blood.
• It is advisable to drink alcohol during and after meals, and not on an empty stomach, before meals.
• Of alcoholic beverages, one should not choose fortified wines, liqueurs and other beverages with a high sugar content.
• It's better to drink light beers with low alcohol content( it's better to drink nonalcoholic beer).
• When consuming a cocktail, do not consume those that contain sweet fizzy drinks or fruit juices.
• Do not take alcohol after exercise( especially on an empty stomach).
• Do not use alcohol in type 2 diabetes, as a method to reduce the amount of glucose in the blood, remembering that the reaction to alcohol can be very dangerous.
• It is advisable to have a passport or other identity document with the mark that a person is suffering from diabetes mellitus. Often there were cases when in a state of hypoglycemic coma and the existing smell of alcohol, patients were not always provided with timely medical assistance.

All of the above recommendations apply to people who have type 1 diabetes mellitus. The diagnosis of type 1 diabetes and alcohol are also things not only incompatible with life, but also dangerous to health. For women, all doses of alcohol are reduced exactly half( refers to strong and weak drinks).