Drinking & You - Alcohol and diabetes

Alcohol and diabetes

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	Women and Alcohol
	Alcohol and diabetes
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What the Doctor says

Diabetes mellitus, a disorder of the endocrine system, affects between 10 - 20 million people in the US alone and is on the rise. Diabetes is a disorder in blood levels of insulin, a pancreatic hormone that helps convert blood sugar, into energy.

Type 1/juvenile-onset diabetes results from a shortage of insulin.
Type 2/adult-onset diabetes results from the bodys inability to process the hormone effectively.

Almost 90 percent of all people with diabetes have Type 2. Factors such as obesity and family history are the strongest predictors of type 2 diabetes, although lifestyle patterns, including alcohol consumption, may also play a role in the etiology of the disease.

In 1995 Harvard University researchers reported in the British Medical Journal that men who consumed two drinks per day had a 40% reduced risk of developing diabetes. A second study from England found results comparable to the Harvard study with reduced risk statistically stronger in men with pre-existing evidence of heart disease.

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) stresses the importance of individuals and physicians working together to make decisions regarding consumption, whether or not the patient has diabetes.

Diabetes and Diets

Only a couple decades ago alcohol was prohibited in diets recommended for diabetics, but in the 1980s, newer concepts in the management of diabetes favoured a diet that was more liberal in carbohydrate content and allowed for more flexibility for individual patients. These changes were employed to increase compliance with physicians dietary recommendations. Prominent researchers, such as Janet McDonald of the Food and Drug Administration, successively argued for the inclusion of moderate alcohol consumption in a diabetic regime once scientific research had demonstrated that moderate alcohol intake did not impair and in some studies improved glucose response.

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) states, "Blood glucose levels will not be affected by moderate use of alcohol when diabetes is well controlled."

Referring to the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the ADA defines moderation as no more than two drinks per day (12g) for men and no more than one for women.

LINKS

For in-depth information, please visit the AIM-Gateway site at www.aim-digest.com/gateway/