Bringing Awareness to Diabetes

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month. It is a time when communities across America bring awareness to the prevalence of this chronic condition.

ARE YOU THE ONE IN FIVE?

About 38 million adults have diabetes, and 1 in 5 of them don’t know they have it.

Blue Shield of California offers members access to programs and benefits to help prevent and manage diabetes, like Virta.

Now is the the perfect time to check on your health.

Take a free, detailed wellness assessment, find out if you’re at risk for certain health conditions, and get personalized guidance.
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Diabetes and Alcohol

People who have diabetes need to be more careful with alcohol. Before you drink, consider a few things: Is your diabetes well controlled? Do you know how drinking alcohol can affect you? Do you have high blood pressure, nerve damage, or eye problems from your diabetes?

If you take insulin or another medicine for diabetes, drinking alcohol may cause low blood sugar. This could cause dangerous low blood sugar levels.

Too much alcohol can also affect your ability to know your blood sugar is low and to treat it. Drinking alcohol can make you lightheaded at first and drowsy as you drink more, both of which may be similar to the symptoms of low blood sugar.

Drinking a lot of alcohol over a long period of time can damage your liver (cirrhosis). If this happens, your body may lose its natural response to protect itself from low blood sugar.

If you are controlling your diabetes and do not have other health issues, it may be okay to have a drink once in a while. Learning how alcohol affects your body can help you make the right choices.

If  You Drink

• In general, limit alcohol to 1 drink a day with a meal if you're a woman, and 2 drinks a day with a meal if you're a man. 
• Choose drinks wisely. Use sugar-free mixers, like diet tonic or water. Pick drinks with less alcohol, like light beer or dry wine. Or dilute wine with club soda. 
• When you drink, check your blood sugar before bed. Have a snack before bed so your blood sugar does not drop during sleep. When not to drink Never drink on an empty stomach. Drink only with a meal or snack. Don't drink alcohol if you have trouble noticing the signs of low blood sugar. Don't drink after you exercise. Don't drink if you have nerve damage, high blood pressure, or eye disease.
• Work with your doctor or diabetes expert to find what's best for you. Ask if it's safe to drink if you use insulin or another medicine for diabetes. 

When Not to Drink

• Never drink on an empty stomach. Drink only with a meal or snack.
• Don't drink alcohol if you have trouble noticing the signs of low blood sugar.
• Don't drink after exercise.
• Don't drink if you have nerve damage, high blood pressure , or eye disease.

What About Sweet Drinks?

A bit about artificial sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners can be used instead of sugar to sweeten foods and drinks. They are also found in many foods sold in grocery stores. These sweeteners, also called sugar substitutes, are made from chemicals and natural substances.

The most common sugar substitutes are:

• Aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet). It's mostly used to sweeten diet soft drinks.
• Saccharin (Sugar Twin, Sweet'N Low). It's used in many diet foods and drinks.
• Sucralose (Splenda). It's in many diet foods and drinks.
• Acesulfame K (Sunett). It's often combined with saccharin in diet soft drinks.
• Stevia (PureVia, SweetLeaf, Truvia). Stevia is made from a plant and is used in foods and drinks. Many people use sugar substitutes as a way to limit how much sugar they eat.

Artificial sweeteners provide no energy, so they won't affect your blood sugar. If you have diabetes, these substitutes are generally safe to use.

What are sugar alcohols?

Sugar alcohols are a type of sweetener. They are used in foods labeled "sugar-free" or "no sugar added."

Common names for sugar alcohols are erythritol, glycerol, isomalt, lactitol, maltitol, mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol, and hydrogenated starch hydrolysates (HSH).

Even though a food is "sugar-free," it still has carbohydrate and calories.

If you have diabetes, read food labels closely. Look for the amount of carbs in each serving of food that has sugar alcohol. Sugar alcohols don't cause sudden spikes in blood sugar. But they do have some effect on it.