Most people with diabetes can enjoy small amounts of alcohol, but there are important things you may want to consider. Alcohol can have several negative effects on your body that can impact your diabetes management. Read on for the key things to know if you’re having a drink.
If you have diabetes, alcohol can affect your body in the following ways:1
Taking certain medications can put you at risk of alcohol-related hypoglycaemia. This can occur while drinking alcohol, or many hours afterwards. Alcohol can also make it harder to recognise and treat hypoglycaemia.
On the other hand, alcohol also puts you at risk of hyperglycaemia. This is because alcoholic drinks contain carbohydrates in different amounts.
Alcohol is high in calories and has very little nutritional value. If you drink alcohol in large amounts, or on a regular basis, it can lead to weight gain.
Drinking large amounts of alcohol can affect many different parts of the body, and increase your risk of developing heart disease and some cancers.
Alcohol can cause weight gain, increased triglycerides (blood fats) and high blood pressure, increasing your risk of developing complications.
It’s important to remember that alcohol is a drug and there is no safe way to consume it. If you choose to drink, you should limit your intake, especially if you need to manage your weight or lose weight. The less you drink, the lower your risk of alcohol-related harm.1,2
Current guidelines from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) recommend:2
Healthy men and women should drink no more than ten standard drinks a week and no more than four standard drinks on any one day.
Children and people under 18 years of age should not drink alcohol.
Women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy should not drink alcohol, and for women who are breastfeeding, not drinking alcohol is safest for their baby.
A standard drink might be less than you think. One standard drink is equal to:1
100 mL wine (13% alc/vol)
285 mL full strength beer (4.9% alc/vol)
375 mL mid strength beer (3.5% alc/vol)
425 mL light beer (2.7% alc/vol)
30 mL spirits (40% alc/vol)
60 mL fortified wine (20% alc/vol)
375 mL low-alcohol beer (less than 3% alcohol)
Drink some water before having any alcohol so that you are not thirsty.
Choose low-alcohol (not low-carb) beer.
Be mindful of the size of your drinks. Check the number of standard drinks on the label or measure out a standard drink into a glass, so you know what it looks like.
Sip alcoholic drinks slowly.
Alternate your alcoholic drinks with non-alcoholic drinks such as water or soda water.
Dilute alcoholic drinks with non-alcoholic mixers to reduce the alcohol content. For example, mix beer with diet lemonade to make a shandy or mix soda water with wine.
Make sure you have regular alcohol-free days.
Eating right when you have diabetes doesn’t have to be complex – it is about knowing what is best for you and your diabetes management plan. Knowing which foods are low-GI can be a helpful way of keeping track of your diet. Read on for a breakdown of what ‘low-GI carbohydrate’ means and how this might be helpful.
While there is no cure for diabetes, many treatments are available to help control blood glucose levels. A healthy lifestyle plays a big role in managing blood glucose levels and reducing the risk of complications.3 This article will explain briefly how type 2 diabetes is managed.
When you have diabetes, you may wonder what ‘eating right’ means for you.
Here we’re busting some of the myths around food and diabetes. Keep reading to learn more.
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References: 1. National Diabetes Services Scheme. Alcohol fact sheet. Available at: https://www.ndss.com.au/about-diabetes/resources/find-a-resource/alcohol-fact-sheet/. Accessed May 2023. 2. DNHMRC. Australian guidelines to reduce health risks from drinking alcohol. Available at: https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/about-us/publications/australian-guidelines-reduce-health-risks-drinking-alcohol. Accessed May 2023. 3. Better Health Channel. Diabetes. Available at: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/diabetes. Accessed May 2023.
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