When you are diagnosed with diabetes, it can seem like everything is changing. One question many patients have is whether they are still allowed to consume alcohol with diabetes.

Many patients have to give up a number of their favorite foods and change their exercise and lifestyle habits. In addition to being somewhat stressful, all these changes can also feel like a burden. Feeling as though you need to call your doctor before you does anything can seem overwhelming and many patients are unaware of what is on the list of do’s and don’ts. It is also the same with diabetes and alcohol.

This question, like all diabetes questions, has no single answer. The answer to this question depends on the severity of your diabetes as well as your current health and blood sugar levels. The American Diabetes Association states the following: “When your blood sugar is controlled and well established and you do not have complications, conditions, or medications that are affected by alcohol consumption, then modest amounts of alcohol with your diabetes can be a part of your diet plan”.

It is important to understand that if you drink alcohol with diabetes, your body is at increased risk for certain conditions. This does not mean that you may not have a drink, but there are precautions you should take. Understand that when you drink, your liver slows the glucose release in order to metabolize the alcohol in your blood stream. This means that drinking, especially after an insulin injection or without eating, can result in low blood sugar.

It is also recommended that patients with diabetes adhere to the recommended guidelines of one beer, one glass of wine, or one shot of liquor for women per day and two for men. For adults over the age of 65, diabetes and alcohol should be limited to one drink per day regardless of gender. This helps to reduce the risk of complications significantly. If you want to know more about whether you should or can drink with your diabetes, contact your doctor. While these guidelines are intended as a general rule of thumb, only your doctor can tell you what is best based on your symptoms and risk factors.

Changing your life due to diabetes is very stressful, but once your symptoms are under control, you will likely find yourself able to sit back and enjoy a drink with friends. Managing your symptoms and treating your body well is important, but talking with your doctor can help you ensure that you do not have to eliminate all things that you enjoy, such as having a drink with loved ones. Diabetes and alcohol can be a possibility, only with well controlled diabetes symptoms

There are many myths surrounding diabetes, and it can be hard to determine what is true and what is not. Many patients want to know if diabetes will really make them go blind. The fact is that the disease can certainly cause blindness, and is one of the top causes of blindness among adults. Equally important, however, is the realization that proper testing and eye care can often prevent the condition from occurring.

The vision problem that causes blindness in diabetics is also known as retinopathy. Retinopathy is damage to the eye due to blood flow problems. It causes decreased vision and when left untreated leads to blindness.

When your blood sugar is not well controlled, the blood vessels in the eye become weak. This leaks fluid into the part of the eye responsible for vision. Eventually the blood vessels close off, stopping blood flow to the retina. As the disease progresses, new blood vessels form. These vessels are quite fragile and bleed into the eyes causing severe vision problems and blindness.

Retinopathy occurs in approximately eight percent of patients in the first three years, with statistics rising to one quarter after five years and jumping to eighty percent after approximately fifteen years of being diagnosed with diabetes of any form. These percentages are quite large, but they do not mean that the same percentage of patients will go blind. They point instead to the reasons you should be tested annually for the problem.

When you have your vision checked annually, your eye doctor will be able to catch retinopathy in the early stages. In this stage, the condition is easily treatable. Controlling your blood sugar can also prevent the condition or help delay the onset and progression. It is very important to contact your eye doctor if you experience any vision changes including blurriness or trouble seeing clearly.

Blindness is still considered a side effect of diabetes even though it is preventable. Many patients do not have their vision tested often enough or fail to report symptoms. When you are diagnosed with diabetes, it becomes imperative that you have annual vision tests. When retinopathy is diagnosed early, it can be treated before symptoms become permanent and severe. Your vision is very important to your quality of life. If you are experiencing blurred vision or have not recently had your vision tested, seeking an eye exam is one of the best things you can do for yourself.

While many people are becoming aware of the prevalence of diabetes in the United States, many people still do not know the diabetes risk factors that put them at risk of developing the disease. If you are concerned about diabetes and looking to understand how high your risk of developing the condition is, the next few paragraphs are designed to help you understand more.

One of the biggest diabetes risk factors in developing diabetes is body weight. Obesity is the single largest predictor in the development of diabetes. If you are significantly overweight, taking steps to reduce your body weight by even five to ten percent can greatly lower your risk of diabetes and pre-diabetes.

A diagnosis of pre-diabetes is also a strong indication that you are likely to develop diabetes. If your doctor tells you that your blood sugar levels are indicative of pre-diabetes, it is very important to make diet and lifestyle changes immediately to prevent the onset of type II diabetes. High blood pressure is another major diabetes risk factor and maintaining a healthy cholesterol level can have many significant benefits on your health.

Other diabetes risk factors for diabetes include gestational diabetes as well as lifestyle, ethnicity, and family history. If you had gestational diabetes during a pregnancy, not only are you at risk of having it during subsequent pregnancies, but you are also at an elevated risk of developing type II diabetes in the future. This means taking active steps to lower your risks of diabetes.

When it comes to your lifestyle habits, the simple answer is to be active. If you do not exercise regularly, at least a few days a week, your risk of developing type II diabetes is much higher than that of an active person. Changing your exercise habits can greatly decrease your chances of developing diabetes and other health problems.

Your family history can also be a strong indicator of a genetic predisposition to diabetes. Your genetic predisposition is a high diabetes risk factor. If your parents or siblings have been diagnosed, caring for your body becomes even more important in helping to prevent the disease. Certain ethnic groups, such as Hispanics, African-Americans, Asian Americans, native Alaskans and Pacific Islanders are also at an elevated risk.

In short, knowing these diabetes risk factors can greatly help you reduce your risk of diabetes. If you have any of these risk factors, taking active steps to change your diet and lifestyle can greatly help you lower your chances of developing type II diabetes. While no diabetes risk factor is a certain indicator, and people without these factors can develop the condition, assessing risk and changing your lifestyle appropriately can have a significant impact on your life.