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Diabetes and alcohol

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When a patient is diagnosed with diabetes they are advised by their doctor to limit or stop their alcohol intake.

The assumption that most diabetes sufferers make is that alcohol, as a food, contains sugar and therefore should not be consumed as part of the management of their diabetes. Whilst this is true, the most important reason alcohol should not be consumed by diabetics is because alcohol goes directly into the stomach and liver. It is absorbed by the body very quickly and once in the liver it is processed (metabolised) before anything else.

Within the liver the absorbed alcohol is broken down by enzymes, the chemicals in the liver. These are called preferential enzymes because they break down the alcohol regardless of anything else going on inside the body. Whilst the liver is processing the alcohol the sugar from either the alcohol or food consumed at the same time is not processed efficiently. This creates rapid fluctuations in blood sugar and is problematic for diabetics.

Dr Paul Stillman, General Practitioner
Expert in health education
Chief medical adviser of Streaming Well