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How much alcohol does everyone drink?

I was interested to read about the effect of alcohol on the glucose uptake. Although an 8 month novice in type 2 (diet controlled) I have been happy to deduce, following my own experiments, that red wine (at least) has the effect of essentially neutralising the absorbsion of glucose into the blood stream. There is a suggestion now that while the liver is dealing with alcohol it cannot also be processing carb which will result in a low (normal) reading but the body will get back to processing the carb when it has finished processing the alcohol. My theory about red wine and carbs may be seriously flawed. Can anybody tell me whether I can use red wine (in moderate quantities) to insulate myself from the effects of too much carb or whether I am just postponing the effect of the carbs? Thanks Chris
 
Hi Chris,
I believe that its not a case of the liver processing the carbohydrates. Blood sugar comes from primarily two sources: the carbs that you eat and the glucose that is generated by your liver (in nearly all type-2 diabetics the liver produces around 3 times more glucose than we actually need).

The carbs that you eat are broken down into glucose by the stomach and small intestine, and the alcohol doesn't significantly affect that process. You are correct in that alcohol has an impact on the liver, but what it does is to stop the liver from producing all that un-needed glucose while it deals with the alcohol. The liver removes alcohol at a rate of around 1 unit per hour.

So the answer to your question is yes (in moderation of course), but what the red wine would be doing is temporarily stopping over-production of glucose, rather than stopping metabolism of carbs.
 
Chateau Neuf Du Pape, Half price £7.95 in Tescos. Creme de la creme of reds. It's only once a year after all.

Happy Christmas.

Panda.
 
Hi Panda,
That's a great price for Chateau Neuf Du Pape - but this is a wine that shouldn't be drunk until at least 5 years old so Tesco's would have to be a 2003 vintage or earlier to be at its best if drunk now. Most supermarkets sell reds at around 2 years old, which is really too young for many reds to be at their best. But a couple of reds that I like that are very smooth at 2-3 years old are South African Pinotage (Kumala do a pretty good one) and Italian Montepulciano. Also a young Rioja can be very palatable, but is another that gets better and better with age.
 
I never normally read these forums, much less post replies as I am so bored of my diabetes ... all the rules and regulations re food, drink and medication and lifestyle... but Stevie D's reply made me laugh so much I just spilt my tea all over my desk.... Just wanted to say thanks, not least as it reminded me that you can get so caught up in all the negativity and continual fear-mongering re this condition that we sometimes forget that letting go, having some faith in your body's ability to heal, laughing (a lot!) and focussing on health rather than 'shortcomings' can make life great rather than tolerable.... Sometimes I drink most of a bottle of wine, other times I don't drink at all... what's important is I live my life as a healthy woman - not a patient. And the irony is I'm healthier now than I was before being diabetic.... cheers!
 
shebagirl said:
what's important is I live my life as a healthy woman - not a patient. And the irony is I'm healthier now than I was before being diabetic.... cheers!
Click to expand...

I like that response, I don't really consider myself a patient, my sinning is down to maybe having a bananna fritter with a smidgen of syrup every couple of months. Before I'd have tried to eat a troughfull with a bucket of syrup or two.
 
often wondered about how much people drank while trying to control diabetes, I have tried and to some extent succeeded to live a normal life drinking in moderation and being a t1 now for 7 years hitting the 40 this year. I am scared by what i read here as people generally take a very liberal attitude and take far to much to drink, I love the stuff but always feel guilty indulging. What i prefer to drink is Brandy on its own and as its the festive season there ll be the usual staff parties etc. I always try to abstain a few days in the week, and I have recently been advised by my consultant that i will need to go on Lipitor for cholesterol my reading 5.8 last time out. This would mean the end of the road for the alcohol, as its a no go for mixing it with a statin what does everyone else do, I suppose its a trade off, quality of life or the risk of complications later on.
 
I drank no more than six pints of various alcoholic beverages in total between the ages of 19-21. I decided that I could not understand why anyone drank alcohol at all as I did not enjoy it; so I stopped and have been "Teetotal" ever since. I am now nearly 57 years old.

Regrettably I nevertheless have Fatty Liver disease (plus about another 17 other medical conditions)! :shock: :lol:
 
I drink too much ,I have type 2,I drink about 2 ltrs. of whisky a week.but i'm 57 years old and what else is there.
This is my first post.
I am now down to 1 ltr. a week so showing some improvement.
 

Huh??? Interraction with grapefruit juice is well known and something I was warned against, AFAIK there's no specific contraindication with alcohol other than in the patient notes and they tend to put that in for most all drugs.

Probably excess alcohol would not be a good plan
 
but here's the thing..Diabetics are always thirsty!!
So what can we drink of an evening? :?

Tea/Coffee -- Caffeine rich no sleep, non-Caffeine-tastes of nothing! Tried fruit teas but my palate likes stronger tastes, they are far too subtle to taste of anything but hot water
Fruit juices -- Too much sugar
Diet Drinks -- Found the artificial sweeteners don't agree with me(bad stomach pain)
Spirits --- Need to mix it but It can't be with any of the 2 above!!
Water ------ My only standby when not drinking beer.But after 1 litre needs something to taste.
Wine ------- Occasional glass of Red , but not a thirst quencher!
Milk ------ You can only drink so much milk.. even semi-skimmed contains bad fat.

so that leaves me with my tipple and have discovered that 3 cans 4.0% lager most nights actually reduces my morning test, but when I have water BS level is +20%.

Strong Lager,Beer(both processed and Real Ale) both increase the BS so stay away from them.

Does anyone have any other ideas??
 
Try ROOIBOS (meaning "Redbush" & pronounced "Royboss"), otherwise (wrongly) called "Redbush TEA". This is a drink that is similar to, but tastier than, normal tea. It is produced from bushes grown ONLY in the Cedarburg Mountains of South Africa. It is naturally caffeine free, low in tannins (doesn't stain teeth) and contains lots of anti-oxidants. It is not really a "tea" at all as it comes from a non-related plant.

Rooibos has become very popular during the past few years and is now sold in all supermarkets. There are many brands available. Sainsburys seem to have the best selection of brands and I recommend the KROMLAND FARM Rooibos as it is my own favourite.
 

This is my first post, had to respond to this post by saying absolutely... Here! Here! what an inspired post, of course you should follow advice which you best believe, but believing in health is a marvellous and miraculous tonic.
 

Well, I do tend to agree with you!

Some time in the future, it will probably be discovered that all the things we are told "to do" or "not to do" by the "experts", were WRONG all along! We will then be sternly and solemnly given a long list of NEW instructions to follow.

So I would suggest you do as the "experts" tell you, when you can; but don't let them rule your life. When the "experts" come up with NEW ideas, take them with "a pinch of salt" because yet more contradictory ideas are on the way sometime soon yet again. :!: :lol: :lol: :lol:
 

Indeed.

The main good thing about diabetes is you can get pretty instant feedback from your meter, and longer term results from A1c and lipid panel, so you can discover which ideas work for *you*
 
Ive always loved a pint. in April08 when i started Byetta and went Lo C i also had 3month on the wagon. 2.5 Stone later i took the foot off the brake and said live a little. Well i am still Lo C but have a few pints. The weight hasnt gone back on but hasnt gone away either so on Boxing day after a particularly nice pint i went back on the wagon and apart from Birthdays and Specials thats it !!

The only downside is this is probaly the best i will feel all day
 
I go dry for a month after New Year and on days when I am using the car.

Someone mentioned statins and alcohol - I have no problem taking either and do regularly take both. Mostly whisky as pubs don't do drinkable wines. At home its red wine in large glasses - and it does not have to be 5 years old to be at its best. Red wines with low tannins are eminently drinkable - even those from the top end of the Loire.

White Tea is the favourite non-alcoholic tipple.
 
Since I was diagnosed I have not touched a drop of alcohol, I don't miss drinking at all, in fact I quite like drinking diet coke and lo cal lemonade, I feel better for not drinking.
 
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