Alcohol

There are many well-known risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes that we’ve discussed in this course such as gaining weight, not being very active, age and ethnic background. Drinking too much alcohol can also contribute to the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

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Gaining weight

Alcohol contains a lot of hidden calories and sugar so it can be a cause of gaining weight, which is an established risk factor for type 2 diabetes. It can be surprising how many calories are in alcohol, for example, a pint of lager is equivalent to a slice of pizza.

Below you can see the calorie content for a range of alcoholic drinks.

Pint of lager 210 cals; pint of stout 210 cals; glas of red wine 190 cals; small measure of irish cream; serving of whisky 55 cals — A pint of lager; a pint of stout; a glass of red wine; a small glass of Irish cream and a measure of whisky

Damage to the pancreas

Heavy drinking can cause inflammation to your pancreas, which is the organ responsible for producing insulin which regulates your blood glucose levels. If you continue to drink heavily it can lead to a condition called pancreatitis which will stop your pancreas from working properly.

Insulin resistance

Drinking too much alcohol can reduce your body’s sensitivity to insulin which means that it doesn’t break down sugar as well as it should. This will result in higher blood glucose levels, which over time can lead to type 2 diabetes or worsen existing diabetes.

Government guidelines on alcohol units

To help keep health risks from alcohol at a low level, it’s safest not to regularly drink more than 14 units a week for both men and women. The guidelines also recommend that if you choose to drink up to 14 units a week, that you should spread this over at least three days.

Do you know what 14 units look like? The following drinks all have 14 units of alcohol:

6 pints of lager (4% ABV)

6 medium glasses of red wine (13% ABV)

14 single shots of whisky — Image supplied courtesy of Carbs&Cals

14 single shots of spirits (40% ABV) such as rum, vodka or whisky

It’s important to remember that alcohol can come in different strengths, so something that has a higher percentage of alcohol will also be higher in units than the examples given above.

Cutting down your alcohol intake

If you’d like to find out more about alcohol and ways to reduce how much you drink then have a look at the DrinkAware website or download Public Health England’s Drink Free Days app for free on iOS and Android.

*All images courtesy of Carbs & Cals book and app.

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