Alcohol as a BG lowering agent

[Oldvatr]

Not advisable when you dosed for any food as a T1 accompanying it?
I got caught out like that at a wine tasting evening. Lucky I had dosed for a low carb venison dish. (I wasn’t planning on desert.)
It literally hit me as I went to the rest room toward the end of the night.. I was wearing a Tux at the time too… which miraculously escaped any splashback.

The taxi driver was very kind too.. They don’t normally accept “wrecks” like that into the vehicles in my area..

Never again….

Its normally the taxi driver doing the honking, eh?

 

[In Response]

I really can't believe that you think that having an alcoholic drink to go with carbs is a good idea as a diabetic because it will simply make your blood glucose increase still further- that I do know.

Why would that happen when you drink low/no carb alcoholic drinks such as wine or vodka (without a carbs mixer)?
Beer, cider and licquers are high in carbs so would cause blood sugar rises.
But if you drink something without carbs it is unlikely to raise blood sugars.
That I do know for me … I have checked a few times.

 

[ianf0ster]

Does point 1, last forever, or does it improve after a while of low carb eating?

It normally improves quite quickly as your body gets accustomed to Low Carb.

 

[Oldvatr]

OK my n=1 experiment tonite. I had a high carb meal (battered cod with tomato ketchup) and this follows a bowl of Bombay Mix with added sultanas) so a petite OGTT in its own right. My bgl went up to 10.7mmol/l at the 2 hr PP mark, at which point I took the countermeasure of a finger or two of whisky neat.

The reading at 4 hrs PP was 4.6 mmol/l repeated at 4.3mmol/l to ensure a valid reading.

So yes, a spirit chaser after a carbfest can reduce the bgl levels. My normal 4hr PP is around 6 to 7 mmol/l which is my current fasting level when not imbibing. Its Saturday after all! so not feeling guilty.

 

[Outlier]

Really good of you to undertake that experiment on our behalf!

 

[lovinglife]

OK my n=1 experiment tonite. I had a high carb meal (battered cod with tomato ketchup) and this follows a bowl of Bombay Mix with added sultanas) so a petite OGTT in its own right. My bgl went up to 10.7mmol/l at the 2 hr PP mark, at which point I took the countermeasure of a finger or two of whisky neat.

The reading at 4 hrs PP was 4.6 mmol/l repeated at 4.3mmol/l to ensure a valid reading.

So yes, a spirit chaser after a carbfest can reduce the bgl levels. My normal 4hr PP is around 6 to 7 mmol/l which is my current fasting level when not imbibing. Its Saturday after all! so not feeling guilty.

I’ve had similar results in the past - more carbs than normal with a little drinkie great numbers for 12 hours after, for 24 hours after that I’ve had raised more than normal bloods, usually running 2 points higher with fasting and before and after meals.

 

[Oldvatr]

Yes, I believe we play Whack a Mole when we do this experiment. as a matter of interest, I loooked at the days result overall. and it is clear that the sultanas added to the bombay mix did the real damage, since the difference from eating the batter on the cod only raised my levels by 0.5 mmol/l from the pre- reading. That was a surprise, but is in line with previous experience of visiting the chippie. My cat also joined in the experiment, but did not allow me to do a fingerprick test, so cannot report on the feline response. Strangely he is the second cat I have had that went bonkers over sultanas.

 

[sunspots]

It might be worth pointing out that it is not such a good idea to have beer as your alcoholic beverage of choice @sunspots . It is not known as ‘liquid bread’ for nothing!

Aaah. I knew that and gave it up, alongside cider ☹

 

[sunspots]

I really can't believe that you think that having an alcoholic drink to go with carbs is a good idea as a diabetic because it will simply make your blood glucose increase still further- that I do know. I'm a Type 1 on insulin for 62 years and one of the main things the specialist told me on diagnosis back then; was to keep off drinking alcohol at all costs if I wanted to keep control of my diabetes in my life.
I would respectfully suggest you speak with your diabetic doctor?

Hahaha. Diabetic nurse is hard enough to see. No diabetic doctor! But it's not that I think it's a good idea as such, just interesting

 

[sunspots]

Hi there. I found your dilemma interesting as it outlines my own experience. The way I have been combating this is as follows:
Breakfast:- Hamlyns Oatmeal 3 ounces strictly made with water & sea salt coarse (I eat with 100ml whole milk; one slice of toast with a little butter, 5g of British regional set honey & 25-30g of cheese; & black coffee with no sugar or milk.

Lunch:- following the food combination of breakfast consisting of the 3 food groups of protein, fat & carbohydrates, I aim for 40-50% protein, 30% fat & 15-25% carbohydrates.

Dinner:- I aim at eliminating carbohydrates from this meal altogether at least twice a week. When I do allow carbs, I go for this ratio: protein 50-60%; fat 30%; carbs 10-15%.
I always try to consume proteins first with lunch & dinner meals before introducing carbs. Also, I find alcohol extremely effective in helping to reduce blood sugar; however, timing of alcohol is vital: never on an empty stomach! I make a point of eating food, especially protein first, for at least five minutes before introducing any alcohol. I love chicken satay with egg fried rice & a nice cold 140th anniversary Henry Weston vintage cider with this.
Post-meal I enjoy one bottle of Guinness or one bottle of McEwen's Champion Beer.
In order to pace the cider & beer, I use a pub half pint glass in order to go slow between the hours of 18:00 & 22:00.
I also use a spread sheet to record all alcohol unit consumption over the seven day period in order to keep a cap on weekly unit consumption: this is vital in order to maintain control.
Kind regards,
David Paul.

Wow. You are really organised! I seem in other ways to buck the typical trend (e.g. dawn effect, increased BG with exercise) so who knows? Perhaps I should keep better records!

 

[sunspots]

The OP is not on insulin treatment. The injections are a T2D licenced medication, along with some orals. The OP does not appear to be following any diet that requires carb counting and has previoiusly tried Low carb without success.

Nooo I had massive success on keto, but couldn't sustain that eay of living beyond 2 (3?) years. I was so bored. I now, since writing this post, eat low carb but find it enormously limiting in social situations e.g. I have just come back from a garden party at which I could only eat the raspberries. I looked like a party pooper

 

[sunspots]

It has taken me a while to return to this thread (sorry!) but it has been a fascinating read! When training (as a doctor although ultimately specialising in psychiatry) I was told to advise diabetics to eat one bag of crips for every pint of beer they drank in order to avoid hypos...

 

[Antje77]

Aaah. I knew that and gave it up, alongside cider ☹

 

[Antje77]

It has taken me a while to return to this thread (sorry!) but it has been a fascinating read! When training (as a doctor although ultimately specialising in psychiatry) I was told to advise diabetics to eat one bag of crips for every pint of beer they drank in order to avoid hypos...

That must have referred to diabetics on medication like gliclazide or insulin only.

 

[KennyA]

It has taken me a while to return to this thread (sorry!) but it has been a fascinating read! When training (as a doctor although ultimately specialising in psychiatry) I was told to advise diabetics to eat one bag of crips for every pint of beer they drank in order to avoid hypos...

In my early keto days I was advised by a dietitian that if I was going to drink a lot (the question was about whiskey at a particular wedding) I should eat carbs. My BG was falling sharply but was a bit erratic and unpredictable at the time.

Result, no lows and no highs. I still think it was pretty good advice.