Glucose homeostasis is critical for normal functioning of the central nervous system and cells which have an obligatory requirement for this metabolic substrate. Acute and chronic alterations in the prevailing glucose concentration (i.e., hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia) can adversely impact cellular and organ function. As the underlying mechanisms of alcohol-induced changes are oftentimes dependent on the exposure time and intoxication level, these variables will be identified and accounted for when relevant. We will narrow our discussion to the effects of insulin on carbohydrate metabolism, but certainly acknowledge the potent metabolic effects this hormone has on both lipid and protein metabolism as well as the effect of alcohol on the secretion of other hormones 1.
Damage to the pancreas
However, these evaluations were constrained by the available scientific evidence at the time, which was limited due to a lack of human data and a predominant focus on specific toxicological targets such as cytotoxicity and genotoxicity. Recent in vitro/in vivo experimental studies now suggest deleterious effects of some food additives on a wider spectrum of health outcomes, including metabolic disorders, chronic inflammation, and gut microbiota disruption leading to intestinal inflammation 4. The strong consensus Alcoholics Anonymous from in vitro and ex vivo models, although not entirely consistent, suggests that alcohol inhibits insulin secretion. Using the isolated perfused pancreas, alcohol did not alter basal insulin secretion but did impair glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) in a dose-dependent manner 101. Other studies reported that alcohol inhibits both early- and late-phase insulin secretion by the perfused rat pancreas 101,102. Acute in vitro treatment with alcohol or its metabolite, acetaldehyde, also dose-dependently reduces GSIS in isolated islets 103.
4.1. Glucose Uptake by Striated Muscle
- Be sure to be honest about the amount of alcohol you drink on a daily basis and always ask your physician to explain your medication effects if you don’t understand.
- Wine and light varieties of beer also contain relatively low amounts of carbs.
- This organ stabilizes glucose levels by storing carbohydrates and releasing them into the bloodstream between meals and overnight.
Diabetes is a disease characterized by high blood glucose (sugar) levels. Blood sugar is regulated by insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas. Though they share some characteristics, type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes are not the same. They have different causes and the treatment plans are often very different, as well.
Glucose
For example, in humans fasted ~12 h (i.e., overnight), alcohol does not typically alter the blood glucose concentration 6,7,8,9,10,11. Likewise, euglycemia is maintained in overnight fasted rats 12 and mice 13 after acute alcohol intoxication. Moreover, there is little evidence of acute alcohol-induced hypoglycemia in humans or animals under the more physiological relevant condition of adequate nutrition 14,15,16. In contrast, a severe and sustained hypoglycemia diabetes and alcohol blackouts is elicited when alcohol is acutely administered to humans 9,17,18 or animals 19,20 fasted ~3–4 days.
Finally, basal glucose uptake is unchanged in primary cultured rat skeletal muscle acutely incubated with up to 100 mM ethanol for up to 24 h 55,56. In people with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes, single episodes of alcohol consumption (i.e., acute alcohol consumption) generally do not lead to clinically significant changes in blood sugar levels. In fact, some studies have indicated that isolated episodes of drinking with a meal may have a beneficial effect by slightly lowering blood sugar levels that tend to rise too high in diabetics (Swade and Emanuele 1997). This potentially beneficial effect was observed in both men and women, regardless of age. The alcohol amounts administered in those studies were usually between 0.5 g/kg (gram per kilogram body weight) and 1 g/kg, leading to blood alcohol levels (BALs) between approximately 0.03 and 0.1 percent2 (McDonald 1980).
The nerves that control erection are part of the autonomic nervous system, which controls numerous vital processes that occur without conscious efforts (e.g., breathing and the contractions of the gut necessary for proper digestion). Drinking is individualized and there’s no universal rule for how to do it safely when you live with diabetes. Talk to your doctor about your drinking habits and they can provide you with tips and tricks for how drink in a way that works for you. That can make it especially difficult to get a grip on how many carbs and calories you’re consuming. Liquid sugars are quickly absorbed by the body, so those carbs won’t be much help in preventing or treating a low that may occur hours after you drink. Food, on the other hand, is digested gradually, so it provides better protection against lows.
In contrast, short-term incubation of hepatocytes with alcohol did not alter insulin binding 49. Overnight incubation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells (i.e., FOCUS) with alcohol blunts the insulin-induced increase in the phosphorylation of the insulin receptor-β subunit, IRS-1 and AKT 125,126. However, incubation of another HCC cell line (Huh-7) with alcohol did not affect upstream elements of the insulin signaling pathway despite reducing AKT phosphorylation 126,127. In contrast to the limited data available on alcohol-induced changes in glucose uptake for most peripheral tissues, there is a considerable body of literature pertaining to glucose uptake by whole brain and by various brain regions. In human volunteers, acute alcohol decreased the glucose arterial-jugular vein difference suggesting a reduction in total brain glucose uptake 76. Similarly, an early study using PET imaging in humans also reported a reduction in brain glucose uptake after acute alcohol intoxication 77.