Author Topic: Alcohol and blood sugar levels (Read 3799 times)

Andrew · « **on:** 22 June, 2016, 06:09:51 pm »

Googling around, it seems alcohol usually reduces blood sugar levels although there are exceptions.

I had half a bottle of wine last night with my wife over dinner. I feel like crap now. Out of interest, I've just taken my blood sugar level, it measured 9.6 mmol/L. That surprised me as I last ate maybe 4 hours ago. After my web search, I took the reading again - 12.4. My normal morning fasted level is around 4.5. I'm not diabetic.

My wife tested as a control and her level is in her normal range at 4.6.

Is my level a 'normal' response to alcohol?

Chris S · « **Reply #1 on:** 22 June, 2016, 06:12:35 pm »

What did you eat 4 hours ago?

Andrew · « **Reply #2 on:** 22 June, 2016, 06:24:19 pm »

Quote from: Chris S on 22 June, 2016, 06:12:35 pm

What did you eat 4 hours ago?

Pita bread and salad with some bit of mayonnaise.

hellymedic · « **Reply #3 on:** 22 June, 2016, 06:28:30 pm »

I would suggest eating normally and checking your blood sugar several times tomorrow.

Your blood sugar is higher than I'd like to see but repeated testing tomorrow would help sort out if this is a temporary blip or not.

I hope you're feeling better soon and think you should see your doctor if your sugar consistently exceeds 8 mmol/l

ElyDave · « **Reply #4 on:** 22 June, 2016, 06:35:14 pm »

IME it depends on what the alcohol is, and remember I'm a T1 diabetic, so on external insulin.

Based on the preference for the liver to detoxify alcohol before managing blood sugar by release of stored glycogen, responses are typically

Spirits, red/white wine (dry) - no immediate effect, later drop in blood sugar
Beer - immediate rise (2 pints can see me go from 5.0 to >8 depending on what beer), if you drink enough you may see a later drop
Mixers, alcopops, port etc - big spike, possible later drop.

I've seen that later BG drop on someone's continuous glucose meter trace and it can be very dramatic, which is why T1Ds are told not to dose fully for the carbs in their booze beyond the first one. Of course, the degree of the effect depends on dose.

Andrew · « **Reply #5 on:** 22 June, 2016, 06:52:38 pm »

Thank you for your advice Helly, will do.

I am anticipating my levels to return to normal tomorrow. I have only once taken a non-fasted test and that was 5.6 ish as I recall, so I have some idea as to what my normal is.

Tbh, I was more thinking that it might indicate compromised liver function (as Dave above hints at). I'm by no means a big drinker, past nor present, but I do have the occasional binge.

hellymedic · « **Reply #6 on:** 22 June, 2016, 06:56:41 pm »

There are huge variations in
the carb levels of foods
the individual's response to this
the liver response to alcohol etc
That's why I'm suggesting repeat testing after 'the dust has settled' tomorrow.

ElyDave · « **Reply #7 on:** 22 June, 2016, 09:54:57 pm »

I'm not suggesting impaired liver function, just that the liver does multiple things, some given precedence over others

Andrew · « **Reply #8 on:** 22 June, 2016, 10:06:08 pm »

I realise you didn't suggest it Dave. It'd already crossed my mind. I meant only to acknowledge you'd mentioned it. Sorry if there was any confusion.

It would have been interesting if I'd taken a reading first thing this morning. I think the elevated level must be due to alcohol (as House might say, no such thing as coincidence). I fully anticipate for my levels to be back down tomorrow and I'll be none the wiser as to what happened.

ElyDave · « **Reply #9 on:** 22 June, 2016, 10:11:02 pm »

Quote from: Andrew on 22 June, 2016, 10:06:08 pm

I realise you didn't suggest it Dave. It'd already crossed my mind. I meant only to acknowledge you'd mentioned it. Sorry if there was any confusion.

It would have been interesting if I'd taken a reading first thing this morning. I think the elevated level must be due to alcohol (as House might say, no such thing as coincidence). I fully anticipate for my levels to be back down tomorrow and I'll be none the wiser as to what happened.

NP

mrcharly-YHT · « **Reply #10 on:** 23 June, 2016, 07:51:52 am »

Alcohol might reduce blood sugar levels but many alcoholic drinks are very sweet, so surely that has a compounding effect with the alcohol?

Andrew · « **Reply #11 on:** 23 June, 2016, 09:23:06 am »

Thanks for commenting mrcharly. I have no idea what the answer to your question is, it's the sort of thing I was asking too.

When starting this thread, I hoped for a general discussion about alcohol's effect on blood sugars, rather than anything specifically to do with my own blood glucose level (which was, incidentally and as expected, back down to normal this morning - 5.1 fasted) I was interested to know why alcohol (specifically, white wine) might increase it when all I could find on the web was that it should do the opposite. I've since found some suggestion that heavy drinking can cause liver damage that will, in turn, cause problems with insulin regulation. As I'm not nor ever have been a heavy drinker, I'm still none the wiser!

IJL · « **Reply #12 on:** 23 June, 2016, 09:34:14 am »

12.4 is high for a non diabetic but generally speaking single readings mean little unless they are very high. Sometimes tests of all types produce odd results that when repeated are normal and the cause remains a mystery. It's why a diagnosis will rarely be made (of diabetes) on single reading (there are lots of exceptions to this). Did you wash your hands before the test?

The affect of alcohol in my (A&E) experience is often most marked in people who are very drunk and will often have very low glucose levels and chronic alcoholics who often drink but don't eat and have little/no glycogen stores.

is there any particular reason you're testing your glucose

Andrew · « **Reply #13 on:** 23 June, 2016, 09:41:55 am »

Quote from: IJL on 23 June, 2016, 09:34:14 am

is there any particular reason you're testing your glucose

I thought of adding an explanation in my OP, since I figured it might be a question that got asked.

No, no particular reason. There's a history of diabetes in the family (father and his 2 sisters, my aunts), I had an interest in knowing what it was but didn't want to waste my GP's time, plus I'm considering a low carb diet and wanted to monitor it. I take readings irregularly at the moment for no other reason than interest.

And, yes, I always wash my hands before taking it.

Chris S · « **Reply #14 on:** 23 June, 2016, 09:47:35 am »

A much better metric is HbA1C.

IJL · « **Reply #15 on:** 23 June, 2016, 10:19:40 am »

Chris s beat me to it but with that family history an annual Hba1c would be a much more useful test and your GP should be happy to order one.

Andrew · « **Reply #16 on:** 23 June, 2016, 11:47:09 am »

Quote from: IJL on 23 June, 2016, 10:19:40 am

Chris s beat me to it but with that family history an annual Hba1c would be a much more useful test and your GP should be happy to order one.

Cheers guys, I'll do that next time I go to see him.

hellymedic · « **Reply #17 on:** 23 June, 2016, 12:59:43 pm »

It strikes me that the OP's blood sugar is rather more labile than many, and there are multiple risk factors for diabetes.
I would suggest he and any medics should watch very carefully in the event of any major illness/surgery/injury.

Andrew · « **Reply #18 on:** 23 June, 2016, 01:43:59 pm »

Hey, what can I say. I'm a sensitive guy

We're meeting friends Saturday night for a Brexit debrief. I'm sure I'll have glass of wine or two then so I'll check the results again Sunday morning. It'll hardly be conclusive but, again, a matter of interest.

hellymedic · « **Reply #19 on:** 23 June, 2016, 02:00:22 pm »

TBH I don't think I'd bother! It's like weighing yourself on Boxing Day: bound to be atypical and higher than desired.
You can get very upset/stressed/obsessional, which won't improve your general health.
HbA₁C would be more usefully informative.

I would suggest occasional HbA₁C and careful monitoring whenever you're sick, as well as a lowish carb diet, without freaking out.

Andrew · « **Reply #20 on:** 23 June, 2016, 02:17:48 pm »

Thanks again for the advice Helly, much appreciated.

I eat 'low carb'-ish anyway. Not radically but what I'd called a re-balanced diet, reducing the amount of carb without eliminating it entirely.

I will take my blood glucose again on Sunday but only because I find that sort of stuff interesting. It doesn't freak me out believe me, I kinda treat myself as an experiment, but thank you for your words of warning. I used to weigh myself every day, sometimes a number of times a day, just to see what my weight did and how it responded to factors. It was interesting to see my weight ping around and I now no longer think of myself as being a specific weight, but rather anywhere in a 2kg range (currently, 74 to 76kg)

I'm not due to see the doc for another 5 months (repeat blood pressure meds) so I'll hang on until then for the HbA1C test.

Edit: last glucose test was 4.8 - before lunch and 3 hours after a late elevenses. So I'm back in range again.

hellymedic · « **Reply #21 on:** 23 June, 2016, 03:11:47 pm »

Yeah, not diabetic unless provoked.
DO NOT PROVOKE!

ElyDave · « **Reply #22 on:** 23 June, 2016, 04:09:25 pm »

HbA1c is only giving a three month snapshot of average BG, so may hide peaks and troughs, but would give an idea of generalised higher than normal BG of course, but the original question was mode immediate than that and would not be addressed by HbA1c surely?

IJL · « **Reply #23 on:** 23 June, 2016, 04:28:03 pm »

Quote

but the original question was mode immediate than that and would not be addressed by HbA1c surely?

The challenge is that a single raised glucose reading on well person probably means nothing if, subsequent reading are normal and HBa1c is normal. If the glucose level is regularly high (when testing or not) then it will affect the Hba1c. If HBa1c is above 6.5 diabetes will be diagnosed.

Single readings in a well person who has subsequent normal readings are always a little suspect, is it odd physiology or a faulty test stick/machine?

ElyDave · « **Reply #24 on:** 23 June, 2016, 04:37:48 pm »

yes, that is definitely the case for diagnosis, but if you took my HbA1c, last reading was 46, below the diagnostic cut off for T2, so there are always oddities that don't fit the pattern. In general though, yes a latent T2 would expect to have an elevated A1c