6. Alcohol
Alcoholic drinks are full of empty calories and have no nutritional value, and this is bad news for your waistline. But what many people don’t consider is that they can also be full of sugar. A pint of cider can contain as many as five teaspoons of sugar, almost as much as the World Health Organisation recommends you do not exceed in a single day. Thus, alcohol can negatively affect blood sugar levels, putting heavy drinkers at increased risk of developing alcohol-related diabetes.
You can still drink alcohol if you have diabetes, but there are a few things you need to bear in mind to make sure you stay healthy. Alcoholic drinks often contain a lot of calories, for example, one pint of lager can be equivalent to a slice of pizza, and this puts a strain on your ability to manage the condition.
Drinking alcohol can further increase your chance of becoming overweight by increasing hunger, which raises your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, heavy drinking can reduce the body’s sensitivity to insulin, which can also trigger type 2 diabetes. If you’re concerned about the amount of sugar you’re consuming in alcohol, there are ways to cut down, like drinking a glass of water between each alcoholic beverage, choosing to drink low-alcohol, and eating while drinking alcohol as part of your experience of a meal.
