Wine whine

If only they would offer wine on prescription instead of the Metformin

Jo_the_boat said:

For people's info....
I had a 5-week period off the booze then a full set of bloods done. (First for a year).
My weight during the year has increased gradually to a good stone over my ideal fighting weight.
I stayed low carb (around 20 - 30, I would estimate), but too much porky stuff like cheese and sausages.
I exercised plenty (30 mile walking and 45 mile cycling per week).

HbA1c went up from 42 to 46! Not disastrous but surprising after my abstention.
'You'd better go on metformin,' said the dragon (T2 Nurse).
'I'd better not,' I replied. 'Leave it six months and we'll test again, when I'm back on the Merlot and see if I can shift the weight!'

Everything else looks really good, she told me. Particularly the total cholesterol of 3.6. 'Really?' I said.
BUT, triglyceride / HDL was poor at 1.6 / 1.1 The Dragon didn't mention this. (Last time it was 0.7 / 1.6)

So, the real differences are the booze abstention and weight gain both of which I'll try and reverse.

Lesson for you, think very carefully before giving up the wine!

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Cheers, bottom's up, and all that!

Jo_the_boat said:

It was Beerenberg when I lived over there in Zwartsluis!
In fact, that could have been the start of all my problems!

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The Dutch do have a lot to answer for, haha!

Interesting . My fasting morning BG readings are always at least 1 point lower when I had about 1/2 a bottle of Red wine at weekend
Carol

Jo_the_boat said:

All they need to do now is to produce a wine with a negative calorific value.
But when all said and done, if you drink enough of the filthy stuff you're not bothered how your readings pan out!

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I am a skinny type 2 I need all the calories I can get !!!

JoKalsbeek said:

The Dutch do have a lot to answer for, haha!

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I'll always love the Dutch for their Echte Oude Jenever. Or even the jonge!

Thanks for the heads up but to be honest I had no intention of giving up the wine or the odd tot of whiskey.

I have never heard a logical explanation of why alcohol affects blood sugar. I am sure that it does, type 1's mention the dangers of hypos after drinking alcohol for example, but the only explanations I have heard are vague and unconvincing.
Also, unless the alcohol neutralises the glucose somehow, the glucose must still be there even if its effect is delayed.

Mr_Pot said:

I have never heard a logical explanation of why alcohol affects blood sugar. I am sure that it does, type 1's mention the dangers of hypos after drinking alcohol for example, but the only explanations I have heard are vague and unconvincing.
Also, unless the alcohol neutralises the glucose somehow, the glucose must still be there even if its effect is delayed.

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Isn’t it to do with busying the liver, detoxifying your blood, so it cannot dump glucose whilst doing so?

Wine is my only pleasure in life now I can't eat the foods I enjoy! I love it.

HSSS said:

Isn’t it to do with busying the liver, detoxifying your blood, so it cannot dump glucose whilst doing so?

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Maybe if you are drinking on an empty stomach but people report that having wine with their meal reduces the effect of the carbohydrate. Why would the liver dump glucose when there is already plenty?

Mr_Pot said:

I have never heard a logical explanation of why alcohol affects blood sugar. I am sure that it does, type 1's mention the dangers of hypos after drinking alcohol for example, but the only explanations I have heard are vague and unconvincing.
Also, unless the alcohol neutralises the glucose somehow, the glucose must still be there even if its effect is delayed.

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I don't have a logical explanation, but the data I have of when I drink compared to when I don't shows a Blood Sugar dip and profile that only occurs when I drink.

I'll briefly sum up.

The Alcohol effects differently depending on the type of alcohol consumed. Carby alcohol (wine, beer) affects Blood Sugars distinctly differently than non-Carby alcohol (spirits). There is obviously variance within the two broad categories but they stay within the parameters I'm about to outline.

Carby Alcohol, for me, spikes the Blood Sugar initially for a period of about 3-4 hours in the absence of Insulin (tested with having a single drink drank at a moderate pace, at the exact same time, over a number of nights). The height of the spike varies massively according to the non-alcoholic content of the drink. Then as we enter the 5th hour a dip will happen. That dip varies in duration and intensity largely correlating with the alcohol content of the drink (steeper for higher alcohol, steadier for lower alcohol, barely noticeable for low-alcohol drinks like Miller Light).

Non-Carby Alcohol, for me, you see only the most modest of spikes (unless there's some sort of sugar content in the drink). The dip I talked about above happens a lot sooner but is a lot less intense, sometimes it occurs in as little as 30 minutes.

These dips don't correlate with the dips I'd see from Basal being too high, typical dips through the night on a correct Basal dose, or on incorrectly calculated doses of Bolus. I always have a meal before drinking.

Mr_Pot said:

I have never heard a logical explanation of why alcohol affects blood sugar. I am sure that it does, type 1's mention the dangers of hypos after drinking alcohol for example, but the only explanations I have heard are vague and unconvincing.
Also, unless the alcohol neutralises the glucose somehow, the glucose must still be there even if its effect is delayed.

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As HSS says if your liver is processing the bottle of Merlot it cannot create glucose from the liver (for type 1) nor liberate fat for fuelling. Seems it is a one trick pony when dealing with a toxin. And if you do have that Merlot you care much less about ordering some lovely chips! Although in the OPs case the wine must have been keeping him off the cheese.

NicoleC1971 said:

As HSS says if your liver is processing the bottle of Merlot it cannot create glucose from the liver (for type 1) nor liberate fat for fuelling. Seems it is a one trick pony when dealing with a toxin. And if you do have that Merlot you care much less about ordering some lovely chips! Although in the OPs case the wine must have been keeping him off the cheese.

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Did you see my question above? If you are having alcohol with a meal why would the liver dump glucose?

As nearly all the fights I've ever gotten into have beem in or around pubs maybe it's the fight or flight reflex as you come to assosiate alcohol with dangerouse situations.

JohnEGreen said:

As nearly all the fights I've ever gotten into have beem in or around pubs

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Can you tell us which pubs you use ? I would like to avoid those establishments if possible