Is alcohol bad for people who have Diabetes?
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NO, drinking is NOT bad for diabetics, DUH! I love how every one says yes it is bad becuase of the sugar! Maybe some people who post comments will read this and know the truth! ARE YOU STUPID that is not why it is bad, the Barbra Davis center for diabetes says: \nBlood sugars may initially be elevated after drinking alcohol; beer, for example, contains a fair amount of carbohydrate. However, the more dangerous effect of alcohol is the lowering of the blood sugar level (as much as 6-12 hours later). The alcohol prevents the other foods stored in the body from being converted to blood sugar.\nIf alcohol consumption is to occur, some general rules are listed below:\n• Use alcohol only in moderation. Sip slowly and make one drink last a long time.\n• Eat when drinking alcohol. Never drink on an empty stomach.\n• A low blood sugar is the main worry - and a bedtime snack (solid protein and some carbohydrate) must be taken after drinking in the evening even if the bedtime blood sugar level is high.\n• The next morning, get up at the usual time, test blood sugar, take insulin, eat breakfast and then go back to bed if you feel ill. “Sleeping-in” can result in a bad reaction.\n• NEVER drink and drive. Ask a friend who has not been drinking to drive, or call someone to come and get you.\nA college student, helping to teach our College Workshop course to newly-graduated high school seniors, had a useful recommendation regarding college parties. He noted that if he had a cup in his hand, no one tried to push further drinks. In contrast, if his hands were empty (no glass), he received a lot of pressure. \nThe answer was to hold the same cup all evening and to just have fun!\nInstructions for completing food record form:\n1. Please write down everything you eat or drink for three days. This includes meals and snacks. Often it’s easier to remember what you eat if you record your food intake at the time you eat it.\n2. Include the amount of food or beverage eaten. Also include the method of preparation (baked, fried, broiled, etc.), as well as any brand names of products (labels can also be enclosed). Use standard measuring cups or spoons. Record meat portions in ounces after cooking. If you do not have a scale, you can estimate ounces. The size of a deck of cards is about equal to three ounces of meat.\n3. Be sure to include items added to your food. For example, include salad dressing on salad, margarine or butter on bread.\n4. Include any supplements you take (vitamin, mineral or protein powders). Write down the name of the supplement, what it contains and the amount taken. Include a copy of the label, if possible.\n5. Please include meal and snack times, blood glucose values, amount of insulin, type of food, amount of food, grams of carbohydrate and any activity or exercise. Put a star next to any blood sugar that is two hours after a meal. \nI found this info athttp://www.uchsc.edu/misc/diabetes/udchap11.html
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I've been researching, and writing on, Nutrition and Health for over 30 years. The combination of not eating - and alcohol will have seriously disturbed your blood sugar levels. You need to eat very small small amounts of foods that won't send your blood sugar soaring.  See on my web site:-  http://www.foodforthought.org.uk/hypoglycaemia.htm  - follow the links for more information.
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Moderate alcohol use may worsen bipolar illness\n\nThe effect of alcohol consumption on bipolar disorder severity may not be confined to heavy drinkers, say researchers who found adverse effects even for those who drink alcohol at levels consistent with low-risk drinking guidelines.\n\nThe effects of alcohol are dependent on a variety of factors, including a person's size, weight, age, and sex, as well as the amount of food and alcohol consumed. \nAlcohol is a depressant, which slows down thinking and actions\nModerate amounts of alcohol raise levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL, or "good" cholesterol),(6) and higher HDL levels are associated with greater protection against heart disease. Moderate alcohol consumption has also been linked with beneficial changes in a variety of factors that influence blood clotting, such as tissue type plasminogen activator, fibrinogen, clotting factor VII, and Von Willebrand factor.(6) Such changes would tend to prevent the formation of small blood clots that can block arteries in the heart, neck, and brain, the ultimate cause of many heart attacks and the most common kind of stroke\n\nAlcohol can be good for you and bad for you:\nModerately taken, it has some health benefits, however it is when you drink too much that the benefits turn into bad things.
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Want a drug that could lower your risk of diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and colon cancer? That could lift your mood and treat headaches? That could lower your risk of cavities? \n\n\nIf it sounds too good to be true, think again. \n\n\nCoffee, the much maligned but undoubtedly beloved beverage, just made headlines for possibly cutting the risk of the latest disease epidemic, type 2 diabetes. And the real news seems to be that the more you drink, the better. \n\n\nReducing Disease Risk \n\n\nAfter analyzing data on 126,000 people for as long as 18 years, Harvard researchers calculate that compared with not partaking in America's favorite morning drink, downing one to three cups of caffeinated coffee daily can reduce diabetes risk by single digits. But having six cups or more each day slashed men's risk by 54% and women's by 30% over java avoiders. \n\n\nThough the scientists give the customary "more research is needed" before they recommend you do overtime at Starbuck's to specifically prevent diabetes, their findings are very similar to those in a less-publicized Dutch study. And perhaps more importantly, it's the latest of hundreds of studies suggesting that coffee may be something of a health food -- especially in higher amounts. \n\n\nIn recent decades, some 19,000 studies have been done examining coffee's impact on health. And for the most part, their results are as pleasing as a gulp of freshly brewed Breakfast Blend for the 108 million Americans who routinely enjoy this traditionally morning -- and increasingly daylong -- ritual. In practical terms, regular coffee drinkers include the majority of U.S. adults and a growing number of children. \n\n\n"Overall, the research shows that coffee is far more healthful than it is harmful," says Tomas DePaulis, PhD, research scientist at Vanderbilt University's Institute for Coffee Studies, which conducts its own medical research and tracks coffee studies from around the world. "For most people, very little bad comes from drinking it, but a lot of good." \n\n\nConsider this: At least six studies indicate that people who drink coffee on a regular basis are up to 80% less likely to develop Parkinson's, with three showing the more they drink, the lower the risk. Other research shows that compared to not drinking coffee, at least two cups daily can translate to a 25% reduced risk of colon cancer, an 80% drop in liver cirrhosis risk, and nearly half the risk of gallstones. \n\n\nCoffee even offsets some of the damage caused by other vices, some research indicates. "People who smoke and are heavy drinkers have less heart disease and liver damage when they regularly consume large amounts of coffee compared to those who don't," says DePaulis. \n\n\nThere's also some evidence that coffee may help manage asthma and even control attacks when medication is unavailable, stop a headache, boost mood, and even prevent cavities.
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Diabetes and Dental Problems\n\nPeople with diabetes are more vulnerable to the millions of germs that live in your mouth. As a result, people with diabetes are more likely to have infections of their gums and the bones that hold the teeth in place. Diabetes also causes a decrease in blood supply to the gums making them more susceptible to disease. In addition, high blood sugars may cause dry mouth and make gum disease worse. The decrease in saliva can cause an increase in tooth decaying bacteria and plaque build up.\n\nWhat Are the Symptoms of Dental Problems?\n\nSymptoms to watch for include bleeding and sore gums, frequent infections and bad breath.\n\nHow Can I Prevent These Dental Problems?\n\nTaking good care of your gums and teeth is very important, especially if you have diabetes. Here are some tips: \n\nHave a dental checkup every six months.\nTell your dentist that you have diabetes and ask him or her to show you how to take proper care of your gums and teeth.\nBrush and floss your teeth at least twice a day\nIf you smoke, quit.\nMaintain good glucose control.\nIf severe gum disease develops, surgery may save your teeth. But if that's not possible, you may have to have teeth pulled to prevent the infection from destroying the bone around your teeth. \n\nDiabetes:\nEye Problems Linked to Diabetes\n\nIf you have diabetes, don't buy a new pair of glasses when you notice you have blurred vision. It could just be a temporary problem that develops rapidly and is caused by high blood glucose levels.\n\nHigh blood glucose causes the lens of the eye to swell, which changes your ability to see. To correct this kind of blurred vision, you need to get your blood glucose back into the target range (90-130 milligrams per deciliter or mg/dL before meals, and less than 180 mg/dL one to two hours after a meal). It may take as long as three months after your blood glucose is well controlled for your vision to fully get back to normal.\n\nBlurred vision can also be a symptom of more serious eye problems. The three major eye problems that people with diabetes may develop and should be aware of are cataracts, glaucoma and retinopathy.\n\n\nCataracts\n\nA cataract is a clouding or fogging of the normally clear lens of the eye. The lens is what allows us to see and focus on an image just like a camera. Although anyone can get cataracts, people with diabetes get cataracts at an earlier age than most and the condition progresses more rapidly than in people without diabetes. \n\nIf you have a cataract, your eye cannot focus light and your vision is impaired. Symptoms include blurred or glared vision.\n\nTreatment is usually surgery followed by placement of a lens implant, with glasses or contact lenses as needed to further correct vision.\n\n\nGlaucoma\n\nWhen fluid inside the eye does not drain properly from a build up of pressure inside the eye, it results in a disease called glaucoma. The pressure damages nerves and the vessels in the eye, causing changes in vision. \n\nIn the most common form of glaucoma, there may be no symptoms at all until the disease is very advanced and there is significant vision loss. In the less common form, symptoms can include headaches, eye aches or pain, blurred vision, watering eyes, halos around lights and loss of vision.\n\nTreatment can include special eye drops, laser procedures, medicine or surgery. You can prevent serious problems by getting an annual glaucoma screening from your eye doctor.\n\n \nRetinopathy\n\nThe retina is a group of specialized cells that convert light as it enters though the lens into images. The eye nerve or optic nerve transmits visual information to the brain. \n\nDiabetic retinopathy is one of the vascular (blood-vessel related) complications related to diabetes. It is due to damage of small vessels and so is called a "microvascular complication." Kidney disease and nerve damage due to diabetes are also microvascular complications. Large blood vessel damage (a
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Diabetes (diabetes mellitus) happens when the body can't use glucose for energy because it doesn’t have any or enough insulin. Insulin controls how much glucose (which is the energy source we get from food) can pass from the blood into body’s cells.\n\nAlert!\nIf a person who is known to have diabetes becomes confused, obviously unwell, drowsy or unconscious, that person needs urgent help. She may have very low levels of blood glucose (hypoglycaemia – 'hi-po-gly-see-mia') or ketoacidosis ('ket-o-acid-o-sis'). See the topic 'Diabetes – managing diabetes in childhood' for more information about what to do for hypoglycaemia and ketoacidosis.\n\n\nWhat is diabetes?\nThere are two main types of diabetes mellitus.\n\nDiabetes mellitus type 1 (sometimes called ‘juvenile onset diabetes’ or ‘insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM)) usually starts in childhood or early adult life, most commonly before teenage years. It is due to damage to b-cells in the pancreas, so that they do not make the hormone insulin.\nDiabetes mellitus type 2 (also called ‘mature onset diabetes’ or non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus) usually starts later in life, usually when the person is over 40 years old. However, it is occurring more often now in much younger people, especially people who are very overweight. Although people with type 2 diabetes usually make some insulin, it is not enough, or it does not work well.\nThere is also gestational diabetes which happens during pregnancy, and diabetes insipidus, a quite different sort of problem.\n\nThis topic focuses only on type 1 diabetes mellitus.\n\nWith type 1 diabetes, young people have no insulin, so they need:\n\nto get insulin by injection at least once, and often several times each day \nto be careful about what they eat, how much they exercise, drinking alcohol and using tobacco and drugs \nto be in control of their diabetes \nto understand that people with diabetes are able to do pretty much everything that other people are able to do. \n\nUnderstanding diabetes\nOur topic on the Parenting and Child Health section of this site called 'Diabetes in childhood' contains a lot of information about the causes of diabetes and its effects and complications.\n\nThere is a lot of research going on world wide to find a cure for diabetes, including seeking ways of transplanting insulin-making tissue – but there is no cure for diabetes yet.\n\n\nManaging diabetes\nEvery person who has type 1 diabetes should have their own diabetes management plan and a team of workers they can seek information and help from.\n\nSomeone with type 1 diabetes will need to regularly monitor their:\n\nblood glucose level \ndiet \ninsulin \nexercise.\nAt the moment, insulin will need to be injected every day for the rest of their life. The topic 'Diabetes - managing diabetes in childhood' goes into detail about diet, insulin, monitoring blood glucose, exercise and most of the questions that are usually asked. \n\n\nTaking control\nIf you have had diabetes for a while, you and your parents may be very used to managing your diabetes. If it has only recently been diagnosed, they may be very anxious and want to help more than you feel is needed (parents are like that!)\n\nAs you get older, your diabetes management team and your parents will help you to take control of managing your diabetes – you might start to see health workers by yourself, and gradually take over managing your own record-keeping.\n\nAll doctors, dietitians and others who work with people with diabetes know that people are not perfect. If you do 'go out of control' it is best to 'own up' and work out some plans for next time, rather than pretending that every thing is OK.\n\nSome things that you will probably have to manage more strictly than other young people include: \n\nmeal times (missing meals can lead to problems) \nsleep-ins (you may have to wake up early to eat, or have your
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Diabetes is a medical disorder characterized by varying or persistent hyperglycemia (elevated blood sugar levels), especially after eating. All types of diabetes share similar symptoms and complications at advanced stages. Hyperglycemia itself can lead to dehydration and ketoacidosis. Longer-term complications include cardiovascular disease (doubled risk), chronic renal failure (it is the main cause for dialysis), retinal damage which can lead to blindness, nerve damage which can lead to erectile dysfunction (impotence), gangrene with risk of amputation of toes, feet, and even legs. The more serious complications are more common in people who have a difficult time controlling their blood sugars with medications (glycemic control).
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The symptoms of diabetes are drinking a lot and being very thirty, having sores that are slow to heal, having dry and itchy skin, having blurry eyesight, feeling very tired or hungry,urinating often, losing weight without trying, having a dark velvety rash on your neck, having tingling in your feet, having a high glucose (sugar)level, and having a high urine ketones level. \nThere is alot of useful information on diabetes on these two web sites. And if you yahoo search it you'll get even more helpful website to read about diabetes. Hope i helped to answer your question.
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I was born diabetic. I've been through most of the major complications that diabetics go through, blindness, neuropathy, commas from high and low glucose levels, kidney failure and kidney/pancreas transplant. If you have a high glucose level, the only thing you should be putting in your body is insulin! Even water has a negative impact. As most of us with diabetes, you probably have high blood pressure. Consuming water increases the amount of water being retained in your entire system, hence water retention, causing your heart and kidneys to much harder than normal under all ready difficult conditions. Don't give high blood sugar levels anything to feed on. go exercise and get your mind off eating.
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Diabetes is not caused by high sugar.  A person is diagnosed diabetic when you have abnormally high levels in your blood because your body can't metabolize the sugar (glucose)you do have effectively.  When you eat your body breaks down the food, and glucose is absorbed into your cells by something called insulin.  If your body is not producing enough insulin or if the insulin you have is ineffective the glucose stays in your blood stream and your cells starve.  To compensate your body breaksdown fat.  There are two types of diabetics.  Type 1 where the pancreas is not making any insulin.  Most children and young adults get this type. It said to be cause by a virus that kill insulin producing cells in the pancreas called the islet cells.  These patients must take insulin shots because if they take it in a pill the stomach would absorb the insulin and it wouldn't work.  Type 2 is where you have insulin in your body but you are either not making enough or your body isn't using it effectively.  These people can take oral diabetic medication because it is not insulin.  It helps the pancreas to produce more insulin or help the insulin get the glucose in the cell.  Diet and exercise help because your not adding glucose that your body doesn't need and helps you burn off excess and sometimes will force the the glucose into the cell.  Complications from diabetes include blindness, kidney disease, slow healing wounds and loss of feeling to extremities (also called neuropathy).  Symptoms include increased thirst, increased hunger (remember your cells are starving) and increased urination. You can also lose weight because the body is breaking down fat for energy. This mostly happens in Type 1.   I hope this helps.  Remember you can't cause diabetes by eating too much candy but if you are diabetic you can be adding to the problem if you do.  Only a blood test and your doctor can diagnosis diabetes.
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Several of the symptoms of Diabetes is urinating a lot, drinking a lot of water (or any liquid) - you should definitely go to a Dr. and get a Diabetes check-up because Diabetes is nothing to fool around with.   You can loose limbs and/or your life with Diabetes.  Please go see a Doctor and get a proper diagnosis.
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Alcohol LOWERS your blood sugar.Eat when you drink and check your bs levels often.\n\nAnd please : to the people giving out info stating that alcohol Raises bs- please stop this. Do some research if you plan to answer medical questions.You could be setting people up for a coma or death.
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You can, but won't necessarily get diabetes from alcohol.  Alcohol usually just makes the problem worse rather than starts the problem.  My fiance is diabetic, and he's not supposed to drink things like beer or wine because they have tons and tons of sugar in them.  Technically they have carbs in them and carbs are pretty much straight sugar.  If you have massive mood swings after eating sugary, or starchy foods, or stuff that's full of carbs you could be either hypo or hyper glycemic; I'm hypo.  If you're hypoglycemic, your sugar levels drop too low.  If you're hyperglycemic then your sugar levels spike too much and that's really dangerous.  That's basically being diabetic.  Just remember, it's always easier to raise your sugar levels than it is to lower them.  It's very hard and very dangerous.  Also, and this is probably going to sound kind of weird, but if your urine smells sweet chances are your sugar levels are too high.  Your body can only handle being that way for so long before it shuts down.  The way my fiance found out that he's diabetic was when he helped a friend of his move.  His sugar levels were extremely high and he didn't know it.  He passed out after moving some of the furniture.  As soon as that happened, he went to the doctor and they tested him; his levels were up over 500 at the time.  That's absolutely insane!\n\nThe only way to know if you're truly diabetic is to go to the doctor and have your blood tested.  If your sugar levels are between 70 and 90 that's healthy.  Also, there is no way to rid yourself of the illness once you have become diabetic.  The only thing you can do is eat healthy, eliminate all of the sugar out of your diet, and exercise.  If you don't maintain a healthy way of living, you'll have to take medicine to balance out the sugar in your body.  If you really don't take care of yourself then you'll end up having to give yourself shots of insulin.  Once you get there, there's no going back.\n\nHere are some symptoms from the CDC gov website:\n\nPeople who think they might have diabetes must visit a physician for diagnosis. They might have SOME or NONE of the following symptoms:\n\nFrequent urination \nExcessive thirst \nUnexplained weight loss \nExtreme hunger \nSudden vision changes \nTingling or numbness in hands or feet \nFeeling very tired much of the time \nVery dry skin \nSores that are slow to heal \nMore infections than usual.\n\nNausea, vomiting, or stomach pains may accompany some of these symptoms in the abrupt onset of insulin-dependent diabetes, now called type 1 diabetes.\n\n\nIf you have become diabetic and are still looking for a way to enjoy a few drinks without the risks of spiking your sugar...  My fiance's doctor told him that hard alcohol, oddly enough, lowers your blood sugar levels.  I didn't believe him at first, but it really does work.  He checks his sugar levels before drinking, and after and sure enough it's lower.  If ever his levels spike, he uses it as an excuse to get trashed.  Ha ha.  His drink of choice "Jack and Diet".\n\nI hope this information helped.
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Diabetes is a treatable condition. The life expectancy of a diabetic is directly related to how well the individual maintains their blood glucose levels. In theory, a person who keeps their levels under control would live as long as any person without it. \nThere is no such thing as a carrier of diabetes, as it is not a disease that is communicable ( that can be passed from one person to another).
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Pot won't directly affect your diabetes, but many people get the "munchies" while on pot and consume large amounts of junk food and candy.  So you will have to watch out for that and avoid the urge to binge on food.
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In men\n\n      Long-term diabetes can cause damage to the nervous system, which is involved in the complex process of erection.\n\n      This means men with diabetes may suffer from erectile dysfunction (ED) and be unable to get or maintain an erection. As many as a third of men with diabetes experience ED.\n\n      \n      Term watch\n      Erectile dysfunction is another name for impotence.\n      Some men only discover they have diabetes when they seek treatment for their erectile dysfunction.\n\n      Once diabetes has been regulated through diet, pills or insulin injections, sexual problems usually disappear and the ability to get an erection is restored.\n\n      In women\n\n      A number of women with diabetes may suffer from recurring vaginitis (inflammation of the vagina), which is usually due to yeast infection. This makes sex painful. You may suffer itching or burning sensations.\n\n      Women with diabetes may also get recurring cystitis.\n\n      There is also some suggestion that women with diabetes have problems with arousal, and just as the penis fails to become erect in the man, the clitoris in a woman may not respond to stimulation in the normal way.\n\nCan you make your sex life work when you have diabetes?\n\nIf you feel diabetes is causing problems with your sex life, talk to your doctor.\n\nWhile no-one relishes talking about sexual problems with a doctor, these issues can only be addressed if you seek help.\n\nYour doctor will try to find out whether sexual problems are caused by defects in the nervous or circulatory system as a result of the diabetes, or whether they are of a more psychological nature. Often this distinction is difficult to make.\n\nIn any case, when sexual dysfunction begins to happen on a regular basis it tends to get worse unless it is properly treated, so the psychological element inevitably builds up.\n\nAn increasing number of men who have diabetes and ED are being helped by medicines such as sildenafil (Viagra), tadalafil (Cialis) and vardenafil (Levitra).\n\nIf tests confirm that your nervous system hasn't been damaged by diabetes, and there are no associated circulatory problems, there's no reason why your sex life shouldn't recover.\n\nSometimes a little help and support from your partner and doctor is all that's needed.\n\nWhat can be done about sexual problems that are not caused by diabetes?\n\nThis is a sensitive issue, but help is available.\n\nGenerally the most useful first port of call is your family doctor, who can refer you (and your partner) to a psychosexual therapist - or marriage guidance counsellor if this is more appropriate.\n\nTry not to dwell on the fact diabetes can cause sexual problems - just because it can, doesn't mean it will.\n\nAnd if you do experience difficulties, be reassured that nowadays there is a lot of help available.
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Yes it can lead into diabetes if you are not careful, if your blood suger gets low use glucose tabs, peanut butter, eggs, or juice to level it out, but never sugary candy, watch your candy intake, I too have this problem