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An alcoholic drink during a meal may help reduce the subsequent rise in blood sugar levels.
Moderate drinking reduces heart disease and diabetes risk. This could be due to the fact that alcohol consumption reduces sugar formation in the body, scientifically known as gluconeogenesis, while increasing sensitivity to insulin.
Researchers from the University of Sydney investigated whether a drink with a meal helped in reducing the increase in blood glucose levels that occurs after eating. The study involved young adult volunteers without diabetes, and was conducted in three stages. Firstly, the effect of drinking an alcoholic beverage, beer, white wine or gin, was compared with eating the equivalent amount of calories in carbohydrate. Each of the alcoholic beverages produced a smaller rise in blood sugar than bread, while insulin response to the drinks was also lower than to bread. Secondly, it was found that blood sugar levels rose less when any of the alcoholic drinks were consumed with bread than eating bread with water. Wine had the strongest effect, while the effect of beer was the weakest. Thirdly, the participants were made to drink before a meal— specifically, the equivalent of about two drinks of beer, wine or gin an hour before eating a meal of instant mashed potatoes. The post-meal blood glucose increase was lower with drinks than when they drank water. However, there was no difference in the effect on insulin levels when an alcoholic beverage was consumed instead of water with or before a meal.
The findings suggest that moderate quantities of beer, wine, and gin reduce post-meal blood sugar by up to 37% in lean, healthy participants. This could be because alcohol reduced gluconeogenesis as well as release of glucose by the liver. The results also showed that alcoholic beverages consumed alone, with or before a carbohydrate-containing meal, are capable of reducing peak blood glucose concentrations or the overall postprandial glucose response in young, lean, healthy participants. Therefore, there is an unrecognised benefit of moderate alcohol consumption.
Moderate drinking reduces heart disease and diabetes risk. This could be due to the fact that alcohol consumption reduces sugar formation in the body, scientifically known as gluconeogenesis, while increasing sensitivity to insulin.
Researchers from the University of Sydney investigated whether a drink with a meal helped in reducing the increase in blood glucose levels that occurs after eating. The study involved young adult volunteers without diabetes, and was conducted in three stages. Firstly, the effect of drinking an alcoholic beverage, beer, white wine or gin, was compared with eating the equivalent amount of calories in carbohydrate. Each of the alcoholic beverages produced a smaller rise in blood sugar than bread, while insulin response to the drinks was also lower than to bread. Secondly, it was found that blood sugar levels rose less when any of the alcoholic drinks were consumed with bread than eating bread with water. Wine had the strongest effect, while the effect of beer was the weakest. Thirdly, the participants were made to drink before a meal— specifically, the equivalent of about two drinks of beer, wine or gin an hour before eating a meal of instant mashed potatoes. The post-meal blood glucose increase was lower with drinks than when they drank water. However, there was no difference in the effect on insulin levels when an alcoholic beverage was consumed instead of water with or before a meal.
The findings suggest that moderate quantities of beer, wine, and gin reduce post-meal blood sugar by up to 37% in lean, healthy participants. This could be because alcohol reduced gluconeogenesis as well as release of glucose by the liver. The results also showed that alcoholic beverages consumed alone, with or before a carbohydrate-containing meal, are capable of reducing peak blood glucose concentrations or the overall postprandial glucose response in young, lean, healthy participants. Therefore, there is an unrecognised benefit of moderate alcohol consumption.
