Diabetes And Alcohol: Know The Consequences Of Alcohol Use In Diabetics

What you eat affects your blood sugar levels. Diabetics need to pay extra attention to their overall diet. Some foods and drinks are known to maintain healthy blood sugar levels. On the other hand, others can make the situation worse. Experts often advise diabetics to eat a healthy diet that can help prevent unnecessary fluctuations in their blood sugar levels. People with diabetes should also avoid drinking sugary drinks and packed juices. But what about alcohol? Is it safe for diabetics to drink alcohol? Can alcohol consumption affect the effectiveness of diabetes medication? Let's find out the answers to all these questions in this article.

Is alcohol safe for diabetics?

Drinking alcohol can make some of the complications of diabetes worse. It can also make it hard for you to manage diabetes on a daily basis. Here are different ways alcohol consumption affects diabetes management:

Alcohol interferes with diabetes medications

Alcohol can cause blood glucose levels to rise and fall. Combining medicines that are supposed to lower your blood sugar levels with alcohol can lead to insulin shock or hypoglycemia, which is a serious medical condition.

Alcohol does not allow the liver to function properly

Drinking alcohol prevents your liver from doing its job.

Your liver works in regulating your blood sugars. But when you drink alcohol, the liver works to remove it from your blood instead of managing your blood sugars or blood glucose. This is why one should strictly avoid alcohol when your blood glucose is already low.

Alcohol can cause hypoglycemia

Low levels of blood glucose are called low blood sugar or hypoglycemia. It happens when levels of glucose in your blood have dropped below the required level. Hypoglycemia is an emergency condition which requires immediate treatment.

Shakiness, sweating, headaches, fatigue, irregular heartbeat, dizziness and numbness of lips, tongue or cheek are a few symptoms of hypoglycemia.

Therefore, people with diabetes should avoid alcohol as much as possible. If consuming occasionally, diabetics should never drink alcohol on an empty stomach and check blood sugar levels before drinking.

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.