If your blood sugar levels are low, it might be best to abstain from a drink.

Test Your Blood Sugar Levels Before and After Drinkingīecause alcohol impacts your liver and can affect blood sugar levels, you should always test your blood glucose levels before consuming an alcoholic beverage. If you are taking any diabetes medications, remember to talk to your NWPC provider about potential risks and complications associated with drinking. While this disease is rare, it can be deadly if not treated properly. Metformin, when combined with heavy alcohol consumption, can increase the risk of lactic acidosis.Medications like sulfonylureas and meglitinides help lower blood sugar levels, but may intensify when combined with alcohol.Combining the two can also interrupt insulin’s ability to help regulate blood sugar, causing it to rise to unhealthy levels. Mixing alcohol and insulin can intensify the medication’s effects on your blood sugar levels, causing severe low blood glucose levels.Consuming alcoholic beverages while taking some diabetes medications can also cause some negative side effects while potentially inhibiting their effectiveness. How Alcohol Interacts with Diabetes MedicationsĪs with any prescription, it’s essential to talk with your doctor about how a medication may interact with what you drink. Beer, wine, and liquor can also impede liver function responsible for regulating blood glucose levels throughout the day, which can surface health concerns for some diabetics. However, excessive consumption, especially for people with type 1 diabetes, can have the opposite effect and actually drop blood sugar levels. Moderate consumption typically causes glucose levels to rise.

Foods and beverages with high sugar content translate to more glucose in the bloodstream.ĭue to its sugar and carbohydrate content, alcohol profoundly affects our blood glucose levels. What we consume daily affects the amount of blood sugar measured in our bodies. Sugar carried to your bloodstream is referred to as blood glucose or blood sugar. While the impact of alcohol on diabetes is multi-faceted, we’ve compiled five key takeaways that people living with diabetes should know. Alcohol can have dramatic effects on blood sugar and liver function, which is why it’s important to understand how drinking interacts with certain health conditions like diabetes.

Additionally, part of living a healthy lifestyle is to be acutely aware of how foods and beverages impact our bodies, especially when living with a health condition. People living with type 1 and type 2 diabetes know how crucial it is to keep their blood sugar levels in check.

Is wine safe for diabetics