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Beer & Diabetes: How Much Is Too Much?

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Beer & Diabetes: How Much Is Too Much?

Drinking alcohol can be a touchy subject, even without a lifelong, chronic condition. Like most food and drink items, people’s notions of serving sizes have grown confused, which has bred a lot of misinformation regarding beer, its typical serving size, and whether or not an individual with diabetes can (or should) drink beer.

Beer and Diabetes: An Overview

Beer is a difficult subject to tackle where diabetes is concerned because the alcohol content in beer (which your body processes as sugar) varies widely, with some beer containing as little as 2% alcohol, with others boasting upwards of 9%. The difference in alcohol content will play a role in determining whether or not the beer is a safe drink to consume, as will the brewing process: some beers rely more heavily on sugars and flavors than others, and the sugar and caloric content will reflect this.

As a general rule, a serving of beer should consist of 12 ounces. Although this is largely true for bottles sold for home use, a pint is a standard unit of measurement in bars and breweries, which exceeds 12 ounces, clocking in at 16 ounces instead. While those four ounces might not make a world of difference, it is significant enough to warrant taking a second look at your serving size next time you drink outside of your home.

Beer and Diabetes: Men VS Women

Men’s bodies are typically considered better equipped to process the alcoholic content within beer, which is usually attributed to men’s stature traditionally being larger than a woman’s. For some, this will not be the case, but as a hard and fast rule, most doctors recommend no more than two serving sizes of beer in a single day. This means that, although you need not give up your favorite brew, you may need to give up regular drinking. Beer may turn into a treat rather than an expectation.




Because women’s bodies are typically considered smaller and less able to filter incoming food and drinks, doctors usually recommend no more than one serving size of beer per day for diabetic women.

Bending the Rules

These rules were developed for men and women for whom beer is a somewhat permanent fixture. Having an occasional drinking session with multiple serving sizes is not strictly forbidden but will necessitate careful measures to make sure your blood sugar levels remain stable and safe—particularly because you are not likely to pay close attention to your health if you are in any way inebriated.

If you do choose to engage in a longer, larger drinking session, make sure you have all of your medication on hand, you do not exceed a state in which you can notice your blood sugar leaping or dropping, and that you do not drink alone.

References

Web MD. Accessed 7/9/17.
Diabetes Self Management. Accessed 7/9/17.