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Type 1 & Red Wine
- Thread starter John506
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totsy
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- Type 1
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- Insulin
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hya john and welcome to the forum,
i myself do not drink but many people on here swear by having the odd drink and in most it actually seems to lower their blood glucose
im sure someone else will be along soon to give you more info
i myself do not drink but many people on here swear by having the odd drink and in most it actually seems to lower their blood glucose
im sure someone else will be along soon to give you more infocugila
Master
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Hi John.
Here is a link to a previous post from a T1 about the same question.
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=5675&start=15#p50224
Ken.
Here is a link to a previous post from a T1 about the same question.
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=5675&start=15#p50224
Ken.
increasingly cynical
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The manufacturers of 'lantus' advise against drinking red wine for the simple reason that it lowers BG more than their own product and can result in hypos if you are also taking Lantus or other insulins... hmm.. what does that tell us about lantus? !
phoenix
Expert
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Red wine is reputed to have health benefits and there is certainly no reason not to drink it 'in moderation' with type 1.
The only info on the lantus prescribing info (and its similar with other insulins) is :
'Alcohol, including beer and wine, may affect the way LANTUS works and affect your blood sugar levels. Talk to your healthcare provider about drinking alcohol'
The main thing to be aware of is that basal insulin is designed to work in the background dealing with the glucose produced by the liver. The liver cannot process alcohol and produce glucose at the same time and it can only process about 1 unit of alcohol an hour. As basal insulin dose is calculated to cover this background of release of glucose, then blood glucose levels can fall. This can occasionally be dangerous. If too much insulin and a lot of alcohol are combined, the liver (being busy with the alcohol) may not release the necessary glucose to deal with very low blood glucose levels.
The way to deal with this is to adjust mealtime insulin with a meal in which unacustomed alcohol is drunk. Not to drink on an empty stomach, eat some carbs when drinking, and not to drink too much. Test levels before going to bed and if you're worried eat something then.
See also: http://www.aim-digest.com/gateway/pages/diabetes/articles/low bs risk.htm
The only info on the lantus prescribing info (and its similar with other insulins) is :
'Alcohol, including beer and wine, may affect the way LANTUS works and affect your blood sugar levels. Talk to your healthcare provider about drinking alcohol'
The main thing to be aware of is that basal insulin is designed to work in the background dealing with the glucose produced by the liver. The liver cannot process alcohol and produce glucose at the same time and it can only process about 1 unit of alcohol an hour. As basal insulin dose is calculated to cover this background of release of glucose, then blood glucose levels can fall. This can occasionally be dangerous. If too much insulin and a lot of alcohol are combined, the liver (being busy with the alcohol) may not release the necessary glucose to deal with very low blood glucose levels.
The way to deal with this is to adjust mealtime insulin with a meal in which unacustomed alcohol is drunk. Not to drink on an empty stomach, eat some carbs when drinking, and not to drink too much. Test levels before going to bed and if you're worried eat something then.
See also: http://www.aim-digest.com/gateway/pages/diabetes/articles/low bs risk.htm
farmerfudge
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- Leicester
Hi,
I have 2 glasses of red most nights. This does lower the BG in the evening and I think it's responsible for higher readings in the morning as the alcohol wears off in the early hours and the body starts processing glucose again (possibly).
I have 2 glasses of red most nights. This does lower the BG in the evening and I think it's responsible for higher readings in the morning as the alcohol wears off in the early hours and the body starts processing glucose again (possibly).
I was diagnosed with type 1 Diabetes and take Lantus as well as Humalog. A few weeks ago I started to occasionally drink a little bit (50-100 ml) of dry red wine (Merlot) with my evening meals and it did not affect my blood sugar levels negatively - except once, when I overdosed with Humalog and my blood sugar fell to 51. That taught me that it is important to make sure that the short term insulin matched the meal exactly, when drinking wine with it. Also, I now prefer red wine spritzers (mixed with soda water) to pure red wine, since the effect is almost like zero then.
Hi all,
I've been a Type 1 diabetic (and drinker) for a long time.
1. All Alcohol lowers blood sugar
2. Some alcoholic drinks have a greater amount of residual sugar (which raises blood sugar)
3. The more alcoholic the drink (aside from alco pops) typically the more your blood sugar will decrease (more residual sugar in the drink is converted to alcohol)
From my experiences:
1. Pure Spirits (such as whisky, gin & vodka) lower blood sugar.
2. Red & White wine (especially those around 12-14%) lower blood sugar.
3. Strong Lager (around 5%) usually keeps blood sugars level.
4. Weak Beer usually increase blood sugar.
5. Ales & Stouts (especially boutique real ales) are the most difficult, some strong brews still raise sugar levels and some weak ales lower sugar leves (it depends on the residual sugar which is more variable according to the taste the brewer wishes to create).
Usually I try and snack with spirits and wine, not eat with strong beer and when I drink weak beer I check my sugar levels and have additional injections as necessary.
Please note this regieme may not be the most suitable routine for you.
Typically if you drink the same drink for a while, you will learn how it affects you at different times of the day.
I've been a Type 1 diabetic (and drinker) for a long time.
1. All Alcohol lowers blood sugar
2. Some alcoholic drinks have a greater amount of residual sugar (which raises blood sugar)
3. The more alcoholic the drink (aside from alco pops) typically the more your blood sugar will decrease (more residual sugar in the drink is converted to alcohol)
From my experiences:
1. Pure Spirits (such as whisky, gin & vodka) lower blood sugar.
2. Red & White wine (especially those around 12-14%) lower blood sugar.
3. Strong Lager (around 5%) usually keeps blood sugars level.
4. Weak Beer usually increase blood sugar.
5. Ales & Stouts (especially boutique real ales) are the most difficult, some strong brews still raise sugar levels and some weak ales lower sugar leves (it depends on the residual sugar which is more variable according to the taste the brewer wishes to create).
Usually I try and snack with spirits and wine, not eat with strong beer and when I drink weak beer I check my sugar levels and have additional injections as necessary.
Please note this regieme may not be the most suitable routine for you.
Typically if you drink the same drink for a while, you will learn how it affects you at different times of the day.
farmerfudge
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- Leicester
Cheers snoopstaa, that's pretty interesting reading, I've never made the distinction between weak beer and 'normal' beer before. I stopped drinking beer because of the erratic blood sugars in favour of red wine & that explains things!
I have been diagnosed now with type 1 diabetes for just over a year and have never had any problems with my sugar levels when I've drank red or white wine. One thing i have found is the crisper the wine the better as the sugar content is drastically reduced. I do find that consuming small amount of carbs regularly when drinking helps to reduce the night time hypo risk.
