If you have diabetes, and you decided to drink, then you need to prepare for this event. No doctor believes that you can not do without alcohol. Alcohol rapidly reduces glycemia, causing a sharp decrease in sugar, which can result in a lethal outcome for a diabetic.
Vodka with diabetes, like any other alcoholic beverage, acts soothingly. Therefore, patients do not always notice that the first manifestations of hypoglycemia began. This means that every person with this disease must take precautions before drinking alcohol in type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Compatibility
Opinions on the use of alcohol in diabetes diverge. More common is the following: a combination of diabetes and vodka( wine, beer, liqueurs) - is impossible. The majority of endocrinologists also adhere to this opinion, justifying it as follows:
- Glycemia decreases drastically;
- A diabetic may miss the onset of a sugar dip or forget to inject insulin, take pills;
- The glycemic index of alcohol and snacks is not always taken into account;
- You can mix doses and drugs;
- Complications of concomitant pathologies may develop;
- Diabetic target organs are more affected;
- Alcohol can provoke overeating, because they increase appetite. The second type of disease implies that special attention should be given to the diet;
- Pressure may increase.
Another opinion suggests that you can sometimes drink alcohol, but these cases should be extremely rare, and the doses are very small. If certain rules are followed, then possible complications will not occur. The rules are:
- Drinking beverages not on an empty stomach;
- Drink strong drinks or dry wines;
- Follow the glycemic snack index and your sugar.
So those patients who well control their sugar think.
Basic rules
With alcohol abuse, even a healthy person starts to have problems with pressure, sugar decreases. In type 2 diabetes, alcohol is less dangerous, but as with the first type of disease, the symptoms of target organ damage can be amplified - numbness of the limbs, vision loss. However, with sufficient control of the disease and the level of sugar, the probability of such manifestations becomes lower.
When asked if it is possible to drink vodka with diabetes, the answer is "yes."At the same time it is impossible to have more than one hundred grams. It is better to drink wine instead of it, its permissible amount is twice as much. But this does not mean that you can drink every day. Ideally, you should and refuse it, but if this is not possible, you should not drink alcohol more than twice a month.
What you need to know
There are drinks that can be made with diabetes, and which can not be. It is strictly forbidden to use sweet wines, beer, liqueurs and various low-alcohol drinks. The main rules for taking alcohol are:
- You should always eat before a meal, but you need to take into account the glycemic index of products;
- Correction of doses of hypoglycemic agents should be performed under the supervision of a physician;
- Do not drink more than once a week;
- You can not combine alcohol with physical exertion;
- It is not recommended to have a snack with pickles or fatty foods;
- It is forbidden to drink alcohol when sugar is lowered;
- If you are overdone with alcohol, you should check sugar again;
- When mixing alcohol with other beverages, you should choose those whose glycemic index is lower. Do not drink vodka or cognac with cola, juices;
- It should be remembered that the clinic for hypoglycemia and intoxication is very similar, so you need to carefully monitor yourself;
- It is forbidden to drink alone;
- One of those with whom you drink alcohol, should be aware of the presence of your diabetes. This is necessary in order to provide timely assistance if necessary.
It should take into account the glycemic index of alcoholic beverages. Remember that any liquor can both lower and increase sugar. It depends on the number of drinks and snacks. Calorage can always be found on the bottle label. Usually these doctors and explain, whether it is possible vodka or cognac at a diabetes of 1 and 2 types.
It should be remembered that alcohol acts perniciously and on absolutely healthy persons. It can cause various pathological reactions and conditions. This is the reason that even small doses of vodka in combination with type 2 diabetes mellitus can cause a deterioration in disease control. In insulin-dependent diabetics, the situation is more severe, since they need to control sugar much more carefully. But, with all the rules and recommendations, the harm from alcohol can be minimal.
Effect of alcohol on diabetes
Alcohol produces a very specific effect in the body. It inhibits the synthesis of glucose in the liver tissue and enhances the action of insulin. Also, ethanol takes part in the destruction of the cell wall, so glucose is much easier to get inside the cell. This can explain the sharp drop in glycemia in a diabetic with alcohol. Very often, patients experience very severe hunger, which is very difficult to quench even by absorbing a large variety of foods.
There are situations when the patient knows all about the precautions for drinking alcohol, but for a number of reasons he does not observe them. The result is usually a hypoglycemic condition. Sometimes only 20 milliliters of strong alcoholic beverages - vodka, cognac or another, are enough to cause the processes of the drop in the level of glycemia. It should be noted that in case of type 2 of the disease, alcohol consumption is less dangerous than at the first.
There are several situations when drinking is strictly forbidden in diabetes mellitus. These include:
- Gout;
- Frequent hypoglycemic conditions;
- Decreased kidney function with the development of renal failure;
- Increase in triglyceride, cholesterol and atherogenicity. Alcohol disrupts fat metabolism;
- Chronic pancreatitis. Even in healthy people, this disease can lead to diabetes mellitus, so with this diagnosis one should once again ponder whether it is worth to drink;
- Liver diseases, especially hepatitis or cirrhosis;
- Use of hypoglycemic preparations containing metformin in their composition. This combination contributes to the occurrence of lactic acidosis.
A very dangerous condition may be delayed hypoglycemia, when the sugar does not fall immediately, but after some time after the feast. This situation is very dangerous, because it can not be predicted and hard to stop, as the content of glycogen enzyme in the liver decreases. Also, its danger lies in the fact that it is equally likely to occur after a large feast or after a wine tasting.
It should be remembered that patients with diabetes should be very careful about the use of alcohol. This is due to the fact that the hypoglycemic state may outwardly resemble intoxication, and the drop in sugar is very dangerous. That's why doctors advise to have a good snack even if the patient consumes wine, and also recommend eating late at night because of the possibility of delayed hypoglycemia. It should be borne in mind that increasing sugar is a less dangerous condition for a patient's life, rather than lowering it.
