Alcohol is not good for most diabetics because of its sugar density.   Also, alcohol does not directly reduce blood pressure or lower cholesterol.  You need to develop an eating plan or diet with your health experts to know whether or not your body can afford to have alcohol.  Every diabetic is different.

According to the American Diabetes Association, “if you have diabetes and take insulin shots or oral diabetes pills, you risk low blood sugar when you drink alcohol. To protect yourself, never drink on an empty stomach. Plan to have your drink with a meal or after eating a snack. How does alcohol add to your chances of having low blood sugar? It has to do with your liver.  Normally, when your blood sugar level starts to drop, your liver steps in. It goes to work changing stored carbohydrate into glucose. Then it sends the glucose out into the blood, which helps you avoid or slow down a low blood sugar reaction.  However, when alcohol enters your system, this changes. Alcohol is a toxin and your body reacts to alcohol like a poison. The liver wants to clear it from the blood quickly. In fact, the liver won't put out glucose again until it has taken care of the alcohol. If your blood glucose level is falling, you can quickly wind up with very low blood sugar. This is why drinking as little as 2 ounces of alcohol (about 2 drinks) on an empty stomach can lead to very low blood sugar.”

Some experts believe that wine is OK for you because it can relieve stress, which can reduce high blood pressure, and that you should avoid hard liquors if you have high blood pressure.  Drinking too much comes with its own risks, like increasing your blood pressure, triglycerides and risk of stroke, causing depression, and adding unwanted calories to your diet.  Like everything with diabetes, it’s a matter of choice.

There have been several studies that suggest that moderate drinking is good for your heart because it can raise your good cholesterol (HDL) and reduce plaque accumulation in your arteries. Also, moderate drinking can have a mild anti-coagulating effect – keeping blood platelets from forming together to create blood clots.  Like all studies, everything is questionable.  At melslife, we always side with living your life in balance or moderation.

Men with high blood pressure should not have more than two drinks per day, with a couple of alcohol-free days per week, while women with high blood pressure should not consume more than one drink per day, with the same number of alcohol-free days as men.  A drink is 5 ounces of wine.

All alcoholic drinks are not created equal.  Wine can provide additional benefits because wine contains phytochemicals, which include antioxidants and flavonoids.  These phytochemicals appear to reduce the risk of heart disease.  Red wine has shown to have the most positive effects of any alcohol.

Before you consume any alcohol, consult your doctor and understand how alcohol consumption interacts with your diabetes.