A disease which is slowly become rampant all across the globe, Diabetes is caused either due to the lack of proper production of insulin by the pancreas or due to the improper use of insulin in the human body. This gives rise to the blood sugar level or the glucose level in the body.

The disease is often associated with a host of other complications as well and as such, diabetes is something that needs to be taken care off. Experts have often recommended a well-regulated lifestyle and diet to tackle the problem. One such regulation is the amount of beer consumption. The presence of alcohol in beer is often known to create high blood sugar levels. It also adversely affects the metabolism of the body.

In this article, we try to find out the relation between diabetes and beer consumption.

The thing with Beer and Diabetes

Many people often ask the question whether the beer is something which should be consumed by a diabetes patient. While some people argue that beer should be avoided completely, others are of the view that after taking a few precautionary measures, beer can be had in a reasonable amount.

However, if the amount of beer consumed increases and the precautionary measures are all ignored, drinking beer could be highly harmful to a person suffering from diabetes. In the following paragraphs, we delve deeper into the same and find out some facts related to diabetes and beer and whether it is safe for a person suffering from diabetes to drink beer.

What is the relation between Beer and Diabetes?

As seen above, there is no consensus as to whether drinking beer is harmful to a patient suffering from diabetes or not. While a few studies show that drinking beer should be avoided completely, there are other studies which strongly indicate that a moderate amount of beer, in fact, is good for a patient with diabetes.

In the following points, we establish all these findings and try to broadly understand the relationship between the two:

• Since beer contains alcohol, it may lead to the reduction in the level of glucose in the blood. This may make diabetes even more complicated. This situation is particularly likely for a person who suffers from diabetes because the pancreas is unable to produce adequate amounts of insulin. These patients intake artificial insulin and when the same comes in combination with the alcohol in beer, the situation gets really worse and complicated.
• Drinking of beer in large quantity can interfere with the liver producing glucose. This, in turn, adversely affects the patients who already suffer from diabetes.
• It is a known fact that people with diabetes are much more exposed to contracting heart diseases as compared to those who are not diabetic. Drinking too much of beer only increases this risk.
• Nerve damage, risks of getting smaller blood vessel, and harmful effects to the kidney are other dangers involved when you drink beer beyond the established standard quantity.
• On the positive side, however, consumption of only a moderate quantity of beer along with a few precautions can actually reduce the risk of contracting type 2 diabetes.
• Besides, moderate consumption of alcohol found in beer also reduces the chances of a diabetic patient to suffer from other adverse effects such as suffering from cardiovascular diseases.

Can Moderate Beer Consumption be Beneficial for Diabetes?

As seen above, consumption of a moderate amount of beer can be beneficial to a patient who suffers from diabetes. Experts have suggested that for people whose daily intake of alcohol is a maximum of 24-25 grams of alcohol per day, the chances for them to contract type 2 diabetes is less by 30%. This may vary from one person to another.

The following points establish the truth of the above statement:

• It is a known fact that one of the ways in which the body can prevent the occurrence of type 2 diabetes is the enhanced secretion of adiponectin by the adipose tissue in the body. This chemical not only reduces the chances of contracting type 2 diabetes but also goes a long way in preventing other factors which give rise to the problem. Consumption of a moderate amount of beer does exactly that: it helps the adipose tissue to produce more of adiponectin. This, in turn, reduces the chances of getting type 2 diabetes.
• The alcohol present in beer is known to help the metabolism of lipid, which, in turn, will lead to resistance to the insulin and reduce the occurrence of type 2 diabetes.
• Consumption of a moderate amount of beer is known to reduce chemicals such as C-reactive protein. Thus, through the anti-inflammatory effects, beer leads to the prevention of type 2 d
• A few studies have also concluded that by the consumption of a moderate amount of beer, the blood glucose levels are kept under control and the response of the insulin is also administered properly.

What is in Store for People with Diabetes who Would Like to Consume Beer?

• As seen in the above paragraphs, if you are a diabetic patient, you can go for a moderate quantity of beer consumption.You don’t have to give it up entirely and if you stay within the prescribed limits, you would be good to go.
• Your overall treatment of diabetes should be paired with a good lifestyle, a healthy diet, and adequate physical exercise. That way a small and a moderate amount of beer is something that you can definitely enjoy!

What are the Things That Should be Kept in Mind While you Drink Beer?

Are you a diabetes patient and you want to enjoy that bottle of beer? Are you prone to the disease but do not want to give up drinking? Well, do not worry. Just follow the below listed basic tips and you can definitely enjoy drinking beer without affecting your health adversely:

a) Drinking in moderation

• As seen above, drinking a moderate amount of beer is what you can afford. If you go beyond the established standards, you will get adverse health effects which will be harmful to

b) Track your drinking

• One way to ensure that you are drinking only a moderate amount is to keep a track on the daily intake. With this, you will be in a better position to regulate the intake of beer with the established moderate standards.

c) Go for a light beer

• It is often preferable that when you chose a beer, you chose the one which has a low content of carbohydrates in them. By this, the harmful effect of beer is further reduced.

d) Have a healthy diet

• Regulation of blood sugar level of the body requires you to maintain a healthy diet. That way the consumption of beer won’t harm your body. The alcohol present in beer often keeps the blood sugar at a relatively low level. Hence, it is imperative that you keep the body filled with carbohydrates and take in healthy food.

e) Know your medications

• There is a common misconception that the ones who take in insulin are the only ones who suffer from adverse effects of consuming beer. However, the same is not true and all the diabetes patients should be made aware of the medicines that they are taking. Beer can interfere with some of them to harm the patient instantly. One such medicine is metformin, which, as per the doctors, should not be taken with beer at all.

We hope that the post has been helpful in removing some of the doubts you had with regards to the relation between diabetes and the consumption of beer. Although the pleasure of drinking is known to come with a lot of side effects, a moderate quantity of the same will not be harmful in any way. Having said that, do remember to consult your medical doctor before consuming beer, particularly if you are under certain kind of medications. This is also important because the right quantity of beer varies from one person to another depending on several other factors such as lifestyle, weight and age, and the amount of physical exercise.