Alcohol Query

The best alcoholic drinks for a diabetic are those that have no sugar content. These are spirits (but make sure accompanying mixers are diet variety), dry wine (no residual sugar), or Pilsner lager (like wine this is fermented until all the sugar disappears - but this makes it stronger than traditional British ales).

NB even the strong ciders have a very high sugar content so are best steered well clear of!

Dennis said:

The best alcoholic drinks for a diabetic are those that have no sugar content. These are spirits (but make sure accompanying mixers are diet variety), dry wine (no residual sugar), or Pilsner lager (like wine this is fermented until all the sugar disappears - but this makes it stronger than traditional British ales).

NB even the strong ciders have a very high sugar content so are best steered well clear of!

Click to expand...

Dennis, do spirits have a calorie content and will that make any difference for a T2? Being a T1 and having always had a BMI in the low 20s it's never been a concern for me. But I have a (non-diabetic) friend with a weight problem, and she blames it all on the alcohol! Thanks.

Hi Kegstore,

A calorie is a unit that represents the energy provided by food. Carbohydrate, protein, fat and alcohol are the food types that provide calories in the diet. Carbohydrate and protein have 4 calories per gram, fat has 9 calories per gram, and alcohol has 7 calories per gram. So, for a non-diabetic, the amount of calories consumed is important, regardless of which food source they come from. Not only does alcohol contain calories, but it also slows down the rate at which the metabolism burns energy, so can result in increased fat storage.

As far as a diabetic is concerned, alcohol contains no carbs and so cannot increase blood sugar. In addition it stops the liver from creating unwanted glucose, so can actually lower blood sugar levels.