Re: Diabetes and Alcohol


"Michael" <micoder@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:5yjAn.75395$iG7.66875@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On 4/23/2010 1:32 AM, BobP wrote:
On Thu, 22 Apr 2010 20:48:18 -0500, "Freckles"<freckles@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:


"Michael"<micoder@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:HtLzn.209255$Up1.91523@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On 4/21/2010 4:46 PM, Freckles wrote:
"Michael"<micoder@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:QOOyn.382037$Hq1.281701@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On 4/18/2010 1:10 PM, Anon wrote:


"Màck©®"<WeWillBe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:gvcms5p8se6dgpuuk6minp0756n03juaei@xxxxxxxxxx
"April is Alcohol Awareness Month
So now is a good time to get the facts on diabetes and alcohol.



You may be wondering if drinking alcohol increases your blood
sugar.
Many people think it does. But the fact is that alcohol actually
decreases blood sugar. That may sound like a good thing. But
alcohol
can cause severe low blood sugar if you are taking certain diabetes
medicines that cause the beta cells of your pancreas to release
more
insulin. And the low blood sugar may come hours later.

Deciding if drinking is okay for you
The decision to drink alcohol is different for each person.
Consider
the risks and benefits with your diabetes care team. Then you can
decide together.

Weighing the benefits and risks
Take a look at the benefits and risks of drinking alcohol. Talk
about
them with your diabetes care team.

Benefits
Drinking alcohol in moderate amounts may help:
Lower your fasting blood sugar (if you have type 2 diabetes)
Lower your risk of heart disease
Lower your risk of having a stroke
Prevent gallstones
Lower the risk of type 2 diabetes
Reduce your risk of dying of a heart attack


Risks
Drinking alcohol may increase your risk for:
Low blood sugar
Some forms of cancer
Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas)
Heart failure
Liver problems
High blood pressure
Weight gain
Miscarriage
Fetal alcohol syndrome
Accidents

I have to ask if any of these risks apply to a person who consumes
two
drinks a day. I doubt it.


You forgot the risk of anti-social behavior. When drinking I did
things
I would never do when sober and sometimes I didn't even remember
them.


I think there is some degree of all or nothing thought going on here.
Drinking half a bottle a day would probably be deleterious to one's
health. Having 2 drinks spaced out through the day is shown to be
beneficial to health and is very unlikely to lead to anti-social
behaviour.
----------------------------------------------------------------
I imagine the members of AA would have something quite different to
say
about a couple of drinks a day doing no harm.

I've seen some terribly anti-social behavior from many *social*
drinkers
who
swore up and down they had only a *couple* of drinks during the day.

And of course I've picked up more than a few of these *social*
drinkers,
and
their victims, who will never say anything to anyone ever again.

Freckles


Freckles

I am not talking about those who claim to only have one or two drinks a
day. I am not talking about alcoholics. I am talking about someone like
myself who has one or two drinks in a day.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Most, and probably all of those in AA started out drinking only one or
two
drinks a day, and I'm reasonably certain none of them had any intend of
turning into alcoholics either.
------------------------------------------------------------------

If the AA thinks that it is bad for me to have two drinks a day, then
they
have net read the studies. They are most likely working from the idea,
alcohol bad, no alcohol good. Again, black and white thinking.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
What studies are those, and do you seriously think AA doesn't know about
them or have not read them if they exist?

Alcohol and Diabetes Risk
Drinking alcohol in moderation is associated with a lower risk of
developing type 2 (adult-onset) diabetes, according to a large-scale
Scandinavian study.

Moderate Drinking Reduces Diabetes Risk
Moderate drinkers are less likely to have type 2 diabetes than are
abstainers, according to the findings of 15 different studies that
followed a total of 369,862 men and women for an average of 12 years.

Drinking and Diabetes
Light to moderate drinkers of alcoholic beverages have a 30% to 40%
lower diabetic risk than do abstainers. Consuming alcohol directly
improves the action of insulin in patients with type 2 diabetes
according to a major research study.

Diabetes, Alcohol& Heart Disease
The American Diabetes Association reports that "in people with
diabetes, light-to-moderate amounts of alcohol are associated with a
decreased risk of heart disease.

Postmenopausal Women& Diabetes
Non-diabetic postmenopausal women can reduce insulin concentrations
and improve insulin sensitivity by consuming alcohol in moderation.

Drinking Alcohol Reduces Diabetes Risk in Women
Drinking alcohol (beer, wine, or distilled spirits) in moderation was
associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes among women
age 40-70.

Moderate Drinkers at Lower Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
A major study of almost 21,000 physicians for over 12 years has found
that men who are light to moderate drinkers have a decreased risk of
Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Male Drinkers Less Diabetic
A study of 8,663 men over a period of as long as 25 years found that
the incidence of type 2 (adult-onset) diabetes was significantly lower
among moderate drinkers than among either abstainers or heavy
drinkers.

Moderate Drinking Reduces CHD Risk
A study of over 5,000 women with type 2 diabetes mellitus by Harvard
researchers found that coronary heart disease (CHD) rates "were
significantly lower in women who reported moderate alcohol intake than
in those who reported drinking no alcohol.?

Older-Onset Diabetes and Coronary Heart Disease
Light to moderate consumption of alcohol appears to reduce the risk of
coronary heart disease by as much as 80% among individuals with
older-onset diabetes, according to a study published in the Journal of
the American Medical Association.

Pre-Menopausal Women& Diabetes
Pre-menopausal women who consume a daily drink of beer, wine or
distilled spirits have a much lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes
than abstainers.


Thanks Bob,

I think I have been arguing with someone who has a moral issue with
alcohol. I have no moral interest in this issue. I do have an interest in
how it is effecting my health.

Freckles may have religious objections, I simply don't know. But, for
those of us who have no interest in religion, alcohol can simply be
another way to improve our health and quality of life.

I wish I had understood the value of moderate drinking many years ago. I
probably would not have type 2 today.

Michael
---------------------------------------------------------
More unfounded assumptions on your part.
I have not written anything that remotely indicates I have religious
objections to alcohol.

And my objections to alcohol are not moral. If anything, they are health
concerns and common sense.

There are certain antitoxins and compounds in some alcoholic beverages which
may be beneficial to the user, but alcohol is not one of them. In fact, I
understand those same antitoxins and compounds may be found in other foods
and beverages that are not harmful to the human body the way alcohol is.

You write that you now consume two rum drinks every night to keep your BG
down. That doesn't sound too dangerous, but what when those two drinks will
no longer keep your BG down, will you imbibe more and more alcohol to keep
accomplishing those BG readings, and how many drinks a night do you think
will show you are on your way to becoming a full fledged alcoholic?

Freckles
-------------------------------------------------------------













.

Relevant Pages

  • Alcohol - the risks and benefits to your health
    ... Introducing new Alcohol Guidelines ... How to estimate a 'Standard Drink' ... If you undertake activities that involve risk or a degree of skill ... If you are responsible for private or public drinking settings ...
    (sci.med)
  • Re: Diabetes and Alcohol
    ... So now is a good time to get the facts on diabetes and alcohol. ... You may be wondering if drinking alcohol increases your blood ... Having 2 drinks spaced out through the day is shown to be ...
    (alt.support.diabetes)
  • Re: Diabetes and Alcohol
    ... So now is a good time to get the facts on diabetes and alcohol. ... You may be wondering if drinking alcohol increases your blood sugar. ... Lower your risk of having a stroke ...
    (alt.support.diabetes)
  • Re: Eating more whole grains is an easy way to make your diet healthier
    ... I still have not seen any proof that drinking alcohol is a healthy ... Medical Reports on Alcohol and Diabetes ... Alcohol and Diabetes Risk ... Moderate Drinking Reduces Diabetes Risk ...
    (alt.support.diabetes)
  • Re: Eating more whole grains is an easy way to make your diet healthier
    ... I still have not seen any proof that drinking alcohol is a healthy ... Medical Reports on Alcohol and Diabetes ... Alcohol and Diabetes Risk ... Moderate Drinking Reduces Diabetes Risk ...
    (alt.support.diabetes)