How Alcohol Can Affect Your Diabetes

How Alcohol Can Affect Your Diabetes - Diabetes and Alcohol Consumption - If you have diabetes, you need to be careful with alcohol. Alcohol can affect how well you control your blood sugar (glucose) level. It can also increase risks to your health. Before choosing to drink alcohol, discuss it with your doctor. He or she can help you decide whether you can drink safely. This sheet tells you more about risks of drinking alcohol. It also gives you tips for staying safe when you drink.

How Alcohol Can Affect Your Diabetes

Here are some of the ways alcohol can affect your health if you have diabetes:


It can make certain health problems worse.
Alcohol may worsen disease of the liver, kidney, or pancreas. It may also make nerve or eye damage more likely. If you have any of these health problems, your doctor will likely advise you not to drink alcohol.


It can increase your risk for low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).
The liver helps prevent low blood sugar by releasing extra glucose into the blood. Alcohol in the blood keeps the liver from doing this. Low blood sugar is more likely if you drink alcohol on an empty stomach or during or right after exercise. It is also more likely if you take insulin or medications that help lower blood sugar. Also, alcohol may affect your ability to tell whether you have symptoms of low blood sugar. This may keep you from getting needed treatment.


It can increase your risk for high blood sugar (hyperglycemia).
Many alcoholic drinks contain carbohydrates (carbs). These include beers, sweeter wines, and drinks mixed with fruit juices or sugar. Carbs raise blood sugar levels higher and faster than other kinds of foods. Drinking may throw off your ability to monitor your carbs.

It can affect how well you manage your weight.
Alcohol is high in calories and has no nutrition. If you are on a meal plan to help control your weight, you will need to count alcohol as part of your daily calorie intake. A standard drink is usually counted as 90 calories or two fat exchanges. In addition, alcohol can cause you to feel hungrier than normal. This makes you more likely to overeat, which can affect your weight and blood sugar level.

Tips for Safer Drinking

Your doctor may give you the okay to drink in moderation. Here are some steps you can take to drink safely:

• Strictly follow the drink limits given to you by your doctor. Or use the American Diabetes Association guidelines (see box below).
• Check your blood sugar level before drinking. Do not drink if your blood sugar level is too low or too high. Also, check your blood sugar level after drinking or before going to bed. This is because alcohol can stay in the blood for many hours after drinking. If your blood sugar level is low or dropping, you may be able to treat it with a snack or glucose tablet before it worsens.
• Ask your doctor how alcohol will affect insulin or any medications you take.
• Never drink on an empty stomach.
• Never drink during or after exercise.
• Do not drink any alcohol if you are going to drive.
• Be smart about what you drink. This means choosing drinks that are lower in alcohol, calories, and carbohydrates. Options include dry wines, light beers, or mixed drinks with sugar-free juice, club soda, or sparkling water.
• Carry medical ID that tells others you have diabetes. This helps ensure that you receive proper treatment, if needed.

American Diabetes Association Alcohol Guidelines

If your doctor has cleared you to drink, limit drinking to:

• Women: No more than 1 drink a day

• Men: No more than 2 drinks a day

One drink equals 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of hard liquor. ( about.com )

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Viruses are 'new normal' for honey bees

Viruses are 'new normal' for honey bees - California scientists said Tuesday they have identified four new viruses in healthy honey bee colonies, a finding that could help solve the mystery of mass bee die-offs in some parts of the world.

The previously unknown viruses turned up during a 10-month study of a commercial beekeeping operation that included more than 70,000 hives and 20 colonies that were transported across the United States to pollinate crops.

The colonies appeared healthy and did not see any of the mass deaths that have eradicated as much as 30 percent of the US population of honey bees since 2006.

Understanding the 27 unique honey bee viruses -- including four new ones and others possibly involved in colony collapse -- and how they circulate in healthy populations could offer scientists a baseline for further study.

"You can't begin to understand colony die-off without understanding what normal is," said senior author Joe DeRisi, professor of biochemistry and biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco.

Honey bee colony declines in recent years have reached 10 to 30 percent in Europe, 30 percent in the United States, and up to 85 percent in Middle East, according to a UN report on the issue released earlier this year.

Honey bees are critical to global agriculture. They pollinate more than 100
different crops, representing up to $83 billion in crop value world wide each year and roughly one-third of the human diet.

According to co-author Michelle Flenniken of the study published in the online journal PloS One, the patterns of infection show that more than one factor is likely to blame for colony collapse.

"Clearly, there is more than just exposure involved," said Flenniken.

"We noticed that specific viruses dominated in some seasons, but also found that not all of the colonies tested positively for a virus at the same time, even after long-distance transport in close proximity."

The researchers also found six species of bacteria and six fungi, four types of mites and a parasitic fly called a phorid, which had not previously been seen in honey bees outside California.

Among the four newly discovered viruses was one that "turned out to be the primary element of the honey bee biome, or community of bacteria and viruses," said the study, identifying it as a strain of the Lake Sinai virus.

Hundreds of millions of its viral cells were "found in each bee in otherwise healthy colonies at certain times of the year," said the research.

"Here's a virus that's the single most abundant component of the bee biome and no one knew it was there," said DeRisi said.

World health experts believe some combination of parasites, viral and bacterial infections, pesticides, and poor nutrition resulting from the impact of human activities on the environment have all played a role in the bees' decline. ( AFP )

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Top Ten heart healthy foods

Top Ten heart healthy foods - Think heart disease is a man's disease? Think again. While men's rates of heart disease have declined over the past few decades in many countries, women's have been climbing steadily and continue to rise. Nutritionist Michelle Gelok tells you how you can reduce your risk by adopting a healthy diet.

Avocados are rich in folate and potassium, two nutrients essential for heart health

1. Avocado

Once banished for their highfat content, avocados are making a health food comeback. While it's true that avocados are high in fat (one medium avocado has a whopping30g of fat!) it's actually their fat content that is responsible for their many health benefits. Avocados are rich in monounsaturated fat, the type of fat that can lower total and LDL (bad) cholesterol, and raise HDL (good) cholesterol levels. What's more, avocados are also rich in folate and potassium, two nutrients essential for heart health.

Need to know: One medium avocado delivers over 300 calories, so a little goes a longway. Keep portion sizes to a minimum, for maximum health benefits. Add diced avocados to salads, or serve on wholegrain toast with coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

2. Dark chocolate

Chocolate lovers rejoice! Dark chocolate doesn't just taste good, studies show it can also boost heart health. Dark chocolate contains flavonoids, compounds with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-clotting properties. Studies show consuming as little as 7.5g of dark chocolate per day can lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of a heart attacks and strokes.

Need to know: The heart health benefits of chocolate are limited to dark chocolate, and don't include milk or white chocolate. Choose dark chocolate that contains at least 70 per cent cocoa for the most health benefits, and avoid chocolate that contains added ingredients, such as nougat or caramel. Keep portion sizes small to avoid extra calories and weight gain - both of which can cancel out chocolate's heart healthy benefits.

3. Salmon

Salmon tops the list of heart healthy foods, thanks to its exceptional omega-3 fatty acid content. Omega-3 fatty acids help reduce blood pressure, triglycerides, blood clots and can also protect against irregular heartbeats. Studies show that consuming fatty fish, such as salmon, as little as one to two times per week is enough to lower the risk of dying from a heart attack by over 30 per cent.

Need to know: The British Heart Foundation recommends eating one to two portions of oily fish each week. People who have had a heart attack should aim to increase this to two to three portions per week. For the most health benefits, steam, grill or bake salmon, instead of frying it.

4. Lentils

Lentils are an exceptional source of fibre, which helps keep heart disease at bay. In fact, of all the beans and legumes, lentils outrank them all when it comes to fibre; a half cup (175ml) serving of cooked lentils delivers a whopping 12g of fibre, half the daily recommended intake for women. They're also packed with folate and magnesium, two nutrients essential to heart health. Studies show that a diet rich in legumes, such as lentils, can lower the risk of heart disease by up to a third.

Need to know: Compared with other dried beans and legumes, lentils are perhaps the easiest to prepare thanks to their small size. Boost your intake of fibre-rich lentils by adding them to soups, stews and salads.

5. Soy milk

Studies show substituting animal protein from meat, poultry and dairy with protein from soy foods, such as soy milk, can reduce total cholesterol, LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglycerides. What's more, soy foods can help boost HDL (good) cholesterol, lower blood pressure and keep blood vessels healthy.

Need to know: When added to your diet in combination with other known cholesterol-lowering foods, soy's effect becomes even stronger. For the most health benefits, choose a soy milk product that is fortified with vitamins and minerals and contains at least

6. Flaxseed

Flaxseed may be small in size, but it delivers big benefits when it comes to heart health. Flaxseed contains three heart-healthy compounds, alpha-linolenic acid (an essential omega-3 fatty acid), lignans (a type of antioxidant) and dietary fibre. Together, these compounds help protect against heart attacks and strokes by lowering blood lipids, maintaining healthy blood vessels, and decreasing inflammation. Studies show eating as little as two to six tablespoons (15g to 50g) of milled flaxseed every day for six weeks can significantly decrease your overall and LDL (bad) cholesterol.

Need to know: Flaxseed has a very hard shell, which means they can pass through the body undigested if eaten whole. Grinding flaxseed enhances its digestibility and increases its nutritional value. Purchase milled flaxseed, or grind your own in a clean coffee grinder. Ground flaxseed has a shorter shelf life than whole flaxseed and is best stored in an airtight container in the freezer. Add ground flaxseed to hot or cold cereal, cookies, muffins and low-fat yoghurt.

7. Oats

Few other foods outshine oats when it comes to heart health. Oats is an excellent source of soluble fibre, which helps lower total and LDL (bad) cholesterol. Studies show that consuming just 3g of soluble oat fibre per day, equivalent to one and a half cups (375ml) cooked oatmeal or half a cup (175ml) uncooked oats, can lower total cholesterol levels by up to 23 per cent. What's more, oats help stabilise blood glucose levels, which may benefit people with diabetes.

Need to know: Adding oatsto your diet couldn't be easier,try adding it to your favourite cookie or muffin recipe, stirringit into a bowl of low-fat yoghurt, or enjoying a bowl of warm oatmeal sprinkled with honey and fresh berries.

8. Kale

Green leafy vegetables, such as kale, can be a lifesaver when it comes to heart disease, including heart attacks and strokes. Studies show high intakes of fruits and vegetables can offer protection, but green leafy vegetables seem to offer the most protection. One study found eating just one serving of green leafy vegetables every day reduced the risk of heart disease by 23 per cent.

Need to know: When it comes to green leafy vegetables, the darker the colour the more nutrients it contains, which is why kale is one of the most nutritious green leafy vegetables around. Kale is low in calories, fat-free and packed with nutrients and disease-fighting antioxidants. Kale's sturdy leaves make it a welcome addition to soups, stir-fries and salads.

9. Tea

The heart health benefits of tea are hard to beat. Not only is tea calorie-free, it's packed with disease-fighting antioxidants. Studies show that both green and black teas are effective at warding off heart disease. One study found that older adults who drank at least one and a half cups (375ml) of black tea per day were 43 per cent less likely to suffer a heart attack than non-tea drinkers. Likewise, studies show that drinking at least half a cup (125ml) of green tea every day may reduce the risk of high blood pressure by nearly half.

Need to know: The health benefits of tea are limited to green and black tea, and don't include white or herbal tea. For maximum health benefits, steer clear of tea with added sugar, such as bottled iced tea.

10. Pistachios

Pistachios are a no-brainer when it comes to heart health. Not only are they packed with heart-healthy antioxidants, amino acids and unsaturated fat, they also contain more potassium, a mineral essential for proper heart function, than any other nut. Studies show that a diet rich in nuts, such as pistachios, can help protect against heart disease by lowering the risk of heart attack, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Need to know: While pistachios contain the least amount of calories per gram than any other nut, they should still be enjoyed in moderation. Replace other, less healthy foods in your diet with pistachios, but remember to limit yourself to a 30g (1 ounce) serving per day (about 45 nuts, or a small handful). ( gulfnews.com )

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