Alcohol

Alcohol can affect your blood glucose levels in a number of different ways. If it contains carbohydrate (e.g. beers, cider, alcopops, sugary mixers, sweet wines etc.), it can increase the blood glucose level in the short term.

The effects of alcohol on your blood glucose levels depend on what you drink, how much you drink, and what else you’re doing while you’re drinking – like eating or dancing.

Have a look at the pdf below from Carbs & Cals that gives the carbohydrate content for common alcoholic drinks:

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The images above are for carb awareness only and it’s not recommended to count small amounts of alcohol carbohydrate when starting out with carb counting. If you have any questions it’s best to talk to your healthcare team and get their advice

Alcohol can also increase the risk of hypoglycaemia (low glucose) in the medium to long term. You are at risk of hypoglycaemia because the liver is processing the alcohol you have drunk and cannot release any supplies of stored glucose at the same time.

The more alcohol you drink, the bigger the risk. If you are drinking alcohol you may need to reduce your insulin doses prior to drinking (e.g. dinner dose) and again at breakfast time, or eat more carbs before bed and the next morning. 

The table below gives an overview of the basic things that can cause your blood glucose to go up or down: