Diabetes And Alcohol Consumption

Alcohol and diabetes are related to each other, because the consumption of alcohol has been known to make diabetes worse. It has been seen that there are various harmful effects of alcohol on the patients suffering from diabetes, and the causes related to the same include internal damage and chemical reactions in the body. Basically diabetes is actually a group of diseases, which has a major problem with insulin. This could be the fact that your body doesn't make any insulin or it is not using the insulin the right way.

This insulin is a hormone, which is secreted by your pancreas and has been known as the major part of the way the body processes the food you eat. So this insulin helps maintain the proper level of a sugar in the blood and this is the body's fuel. All the cells in the body use it to produce energy to grow and function. But there are various serious side effects of diabetes and these include blindness, impotence, loss of limbs, and death.

There are various studies and researches conducted on the harmful effects of diabetes and alcohol and their reaction on the body. It has been proven that drinking alcohol in moderation is associated with a lower risk of developing type ‘2' diabetes, which occurs in adults. This has been proven by the large-scale Scandinavian study. The other study on diabetes reveals that moderate consumption of alcohol has been known to reduce the risks of diabetes. Hence the moderate drinkers are less likely to have type ‘2' diabetes as compared to the abstainers.

This study had been conducted and based on the findings of 15 different studies that followed a total of 369,862 men and women over 12 years. Also the people who consume light to moderate drinkers of alcoholic beverages had a 30% to 40% lower diabetic risk as compared to the abstainers. But consuming alcohol directly improves the action of insulin in patients with type 2 diabetes.

The impact of diabetes on the heart and its relation with alcohol should also be understood and the American Diabetes Association reports stated that people suffering from diabetes should consume light to moderate amounts of alcohol, for reducing the risks of heart diseases. The postmenopausal women or the non-diabetic postmenopausal women can reduce insulin concentrations, along with improving insulin sensitivity by consuming alcohol in moderation.

It has also been seen that drinking alcohol like beer, wine, or distilled spirits, in moderation, has been helpful in reducing the risk of diabetes in many women ranging from the age of 40 to 70. Also the male drinkers are less prone to getting diabetes and this also has various forms of health benefits for them. The women with type ‘2' diabetes have very low chances of getting coronary heart disease or CHD as compared to the non drinkers.

However this is applicable only when you don't drink more than two drinks of alcohol in a one-day period. You should drink alcohol only with food and have it slowly. You should also avoid "sugary" mixed drinks like sweet wines and avoid having liquor with soft drinks.

• Cassandra Bagley
• 11/05/2009, 9:59 AM
• 0 Comments