Alcohol levels

[SueJB]

I like wine and G&T. What I don't know and there seems to be an absence of information about drink, apart from 14 units per week, is how it affects T1 diabetes. Any ideas anyone?

 

[ringi]

The risk of hypos is increased, along with your ability to look after yourself being reduced by the alcohol. While the liver is processing alcohol, it is less able to increase BG.

Otherwise, I don't think there is any difference between someone with Type1 and a "normal person" on drinking Alcohol. (Unlike Type2 where liver fat is common.)

 

[SueJB]

The risk of hypos is increased, along with your ability to look after yourself being reduced by the alcohol. While the liver is processing alcohol, it is less able to increase BG.

Otherwise, I don't think there is any difference between someone with Type1 and a "normal person" on drinking Alcohol. (Unlike Type2 where liver fat is common.)

I thought the whole point about controlling BG is to keep them low (3.9 min) and not increase them or am I confused?

 

[britishpub]

The whole point of controlling BG levels, is to be in control.

Alcohol will affect your BG and make it harder for you to maintain control.

It doesn’t mean you cannot or should not drink alcohol, but it does mean you need to be more aware of what is happening to your levels.

 

[JohnEGreen]

Also it is best to be aware that if you are taking metformin that alcohol consumption should not be excessive as it can lead to Lactic acidosis.

 

[SueJB]

Also it is best to be aware that if you are taking metformin that alcohol consumption should not be excessive as it can lead to Lactic acidosis.

I'm type1 and on insulin

 

[JohnEGreen]

I am aware of that but does not preclude being prescribed metformin these days

"The results of the study by Meyer et al. suggest that a small subset of type 1 diabetic patients benefit in terms of insulin dose reduction when metformin is added to insulin. Questions about long-term safety and efficacy in this patient population remain unanswered. Therefore, when is it reasonable and defensible to prescribe metformin in type 1 diabetes? We suggest that metformin should be avoided unless the following criteria are met: 1) insulin resistence is clearly interfering with satisfactory glucose control despite lifestyle interventions; 2) the risk of diabetic ketoacidosis is minimized by an intensive program of insulin, self-monitoring of blood glucose, urine ketone measurement if blood glucose exceeds 300 mg/dl, and regular medical supervision; 3) the patient receives counseling so that he or she understands the potential risk for lactic acidosis; and 4) efficacy is frequently evaluated to justify continued use of metformin."

http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/26/5/1655.1

 

[ringi]

The whole point of controlling BG levels, is to be in control.

Alcohol will affect your BG and make it harder for you to maintain control.

It doesn’t mean you cannot or should not drink alcohol, but it does mean you need to be more aware of what is happening to your levels.

Now for some science......

When your BG gets low your alpha cells in your pancreases releases glucagon, this prompts your liver to increase BG. Therefore as your BG drops due to too much insulin, your liver slows down or prevents the hypos. (Other hormones also prompt the liver to release more BG.)

But when your liver is processing the alcohol, it does not do the above as well, therefore bad hypos can develop a lot quicker than normal.