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Drinking Alcohol


Hey, wasn't shooting you OR the IDDT. Just suggesting that an individual may be protecting his back as lots do in all orgs. :thumbup: The individual obviously did in telling you what they did, because the site you linked to clearly said "If Type 2 diabetes is treated with metformin, then this does not cause hypos. However, if sulphonylureas are added to the treatment, then they can cause hyoglycaemia?..............."A Group 2 driver on a sulphonylurea or glinide is required by law to test blood glucose levels at least twice daily and at times relevant to driving."
Wasn't having a go, just didn't want snowy to think he had to test.
 

Not going to get involved here, but xzzy's statement you quoted about eating and exercise doesn't make his post innacurate as you suggest. His post stated that exercise and eating patterns can cause hypos in BOTH T2's and non-diabetics, and the point in his post was that T2's on diet only aren't MORE likely to get hypos than a non-D, not that they don't get them.

Let's not start another argument eh? This thread was about a T2 asking if he can get hypos from having a drink.
 
God the poor guy just wants to have a drink!

Sid not wanting an argument today just want to be happy with my new HBA1c.

If it makes you happy I'll say you are 100% correct and I hang my head in shame :lol: :wave: :thumbup:

Maybe I'll beat you again on another day eh :wink:

PS

Look I've even stopped BANGING ON ABOUT IT

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Right... there needs to be a clear definition here... many non-diabetics regularly have blood glucose of below 4 mmol/l... if the mean fasting blood glucose of the general non-diabetic population is in the very low 4's then by definition some people are going to have fasting blood glucose in the mid - high 3's... (3.3 mmol/l is commonly citied as the 'lower level' of normal blood glucose). What you don't see is them regularly falling over or collapsing from hypo's because this is 'normal' blood glucose.

Anyone controlling their diabetes that doesn't use pancreas stimulating drugs or insulin is as likely as a non-diabetic to suffer from a hypo... i.e. yes you can still have them but you are going to have to have done something pretty daft to suffer from one... i.e. drink a lot... do a lot of exercise without eating... etc... This is exactly the reason why for instance the DVLA does not require these types of people to undergo the same level of scrutiny as insulin taking diabetics.. the risk to them is no greater than a normal member of the public.

If you take insulin then ofcourse you need to be much more aware of what your blood glucose are doing... as a type I diabetic of many years the danger from hypo's comes from the rapid change in blood glucose that insulin can produce.. Along with the fact that your body is not in control of the amount of insulin in effect... in a non-insulin controlled diabetic as your blood glucose drops lower your body stops producing insulin, your liver dumps glucose and all is well... in an insulin controlled diabetic that insulin keeps acting if there is too much insulin in your system them your livers glucose dump is not enough and your blood glucose continues to drop..

Therefore it is advised that you keep your blood glucose above 4 mmol/l... this ensures that you have some buffer to dangerously low blood glucose and also ensures that you maintain a hypo awareness (for most people)...

The point at which low blood glucose becomes dangerous is when it starts to effect brain function this is known as Neuroglycopenia.. Neuroglycopenia causes the majority of the symptoms that we associate with hypos... mood swings, fatigue, weakness, apathy, lethargy, confusion, amnesia, dizziness, delirium, etc... these symptoms typically present at between 2.0 - 2.4 mmol/l...

So in summary: If you are a diabetic who does not take pancreas stimulating drugs or insulin then a reading of between 3.3 - 4.0 mmol/l is nothing to be overly concerned about (you aren't about to drop into diabetic coma!.. indeed this may even be 'normal' for you). If you plan on exercising or drinking or any sort of activity that may effect your blood glucose or you have recently undertaken any of these activities then you may want to eat some carbs...

If on the other hand you are taking insulin or pancreas stimulating drugs and you get a reading that is sub 4 mmol/l then you should take it seriously and actively correct.
 
Thanks Pneu.

I was starting to get confused there. You have clarified what my understanding was. I certainly would't have been able to explain it like that though!
 

Then why have you, even xyzzy has conceded this point why do you have to make an issue out of every thing I post, is it some kind of vendetta?

Grazer said:
Let's not start another argument eh?
Click to expand...

Then why have you? Just get off my case - please.
 
Gents your first and only warning.. your on-going tit for tat is not needed
 

I agree with all of this, with one pedantic minor modification: Those of us who are engaged in ketogenic diets are (probably) less likely to suffer from hypos than a "normal" person.

As Pneu says:

Ketosis is nature;s answer to hypoglycemia - where your body switches to alternative fuel sources because of a lack of glucose (because of either extreme carbohydrate restriction of starvation).

On a regular diet (one with >>100g of carbs a day), your brain will burn 100g (or 400kcal) worth of carbohydrate a day, with your muscles and liver soaking up any excess. Most of your cells will preferentially use glucose if it is available.

When you are in ketosis (at <<50g a day) you can reduce your brain's requirement to 25g (or 100kcal) of carb, by feeding it ketones instead, and feed most of your other cells with free-fatty-acids. All of that 25g can be manufactured by your liver from fat and protein (gluconeogensis), so in fact you don't need to injest any carb at all. Even in starvation your body will break down body fat and muscle to keep your brain functioning properly.

If you want to see what happens when people completely exhaust their glycogen supplies (and empty their livers) tune into the London Marathon on Sunday at about the 20 mile mark and watch some runners hitting "the wall". Thankfully most of them don't collapse into a diabetic coma, but after an uncomfortable transition, switch from burning glucose to burning fat, in exactly the same way as us keto-atheletes try to do all of the time.
 
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