Blood Glucose Levels & Beer Consumption

While unwinding with a beer after work or at social gatherings may be part of a daily routine for some, it is important to remember the potentially risky health effects drinking can have on blood sugar, or glucose. Though moderate beer drinking doesn't usually pose a health problem, people with diabetes are wise to think twice before imbibing, as dangerously low blood glucose levels can result from combining diabetes medications and alcohol.

The liver works to exchange carbohydrates stored in the body into glucose, which then circulates in the blood to protect against low blood sugar. Yet when consuming an alcoholic beverage, including beer, the liver automatically concentrates on flushing alcohol from the system, rather than working to regulate blood glucose levels. Thus, even moderate beer drinking on an empty stomach can quickly cause very low blood sugar levels.

The effects of drinking even one beer on blood glucose can start to show up about an hour after consumption. Some of the telltale signs of drinking too much, like slurred speech or lost balance, are much like the effects of low blood sugar levels. In people with or without diabetes, having too many beers in one sitting could result in hypoglycemia, a condition where scarce blood glucose supply can lead to impaired brain function, seizures, coma, and more rarely, permanent brain damage or death.

Reasonable beer consumption can actually have a beneficial effect on glucose levels in the blood. On the other hand, diabetics should take care when drinking since mixing their already low blood sugar levels due to medication with alcohol can be a recipe for endangered health. If you have diabetes and worry that you've had one too many beers, a blood test can show exactly how much glucose is in the blood, as well as the level of carbohydrate-produced chemicals called ketones.

Health care professionals advise people to prevent the low blood glucose levels that can accompany beer consumption by not drinking on an empty stomach and limiting themselves to one drink for women and two for men. Individuals with diabetes who regularly take insulin shots or pills are at a higher risk of low blood sugar while drinking beer, and should only drink with a meal or snack. Before drinking at all, those with diabetes are advised to check with a physician before mixing beer with their medications.

A study published in "Nutrition, Metabolism, and Cardiovascular Diseases" demonstrated that moderate beer consumption over a one-month period in healthy Spanish adults had a positive effect on blood glucose level. The participants of the study were not diabetic.