Can Excessive Beer-Drinking Directly Lead to Diabetes?
Monday, March 16th, 2009 at
9:18 pm
boo_kitty46 asked:
While sitting in class, I overheard someone mention that their relative drank excessive amounts (at least a six pack) of beer a day, and the person’s doctor said the amount of beer he drank daily caused his diabetes. I’m looking for ways to scare my brother out of being an alcoholic and this would be a boon to my cause if it is true.
While sitting in class, I overheard someone mention that their relative drank excessive amounts (at least a six pack) of beer a day, and the person’s doctor said the amount of beer he drank daily caused his diabetes. I’m looking for ways to scare my brother out of being an alcoholic and this would be a boon to my cause if it is true.
Tagged with: Diabetes • Excessive Amounts • Lead
Filed under: Diabetes
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Directly Causing it..no. making it worse most certainly. Your brothers drinking should be addressed not by what it might cause later on but how it is affecting his life and yours today.
The main factor involved with the chance of becoming diabetic is family history/genetics. If you have a relative who has/had diabetes, then you have a greater risk for diabetes and should take the necessary precautions (diet, exercise, etc.)
Yes, if you have a family history of diabetes or are morbidly obese, then you should definitely monitor your alcohol intake, but drinking alone will not cause you to become diabetic.
Indirectly I suppose you are correct. One of the causes of type II adult onset diabetes is to be overweight or obese. It has to do with the cell metabolism and is not related to the inability to produce insulin. So if your brother drank enough beer to cause excessive weight gain then yes he would be susceptible to diabetes. Incidentally, if he is drinking that much there’s a whole lot else that can go wrong. Unfortunately the only way an alcoholic is going to stop is if he recognizes that he is one.
Good Luck your going to need it.
PhD Food Chemistry and Nutrition
First, some background info on myself. I am a type one diabetic, have been for 19 years next month. I am the ONLY type one diabetic in my family. (there is an cousin who is also a type one, but he isn’t blood, he married in. He also isn’t above me in the family tree, but next to me.) The only other diabetic is my father, but he’s a type two, not type one. This is important, because the causes for the different types are different. Mine isn’t caused by being overweight or lack of exercise, but because my pancreas no longer makes insulin.
I do agree with the other posters. If you drink so much beer that you get a “beer belly”, you could certainly develope type two diabetes. He could drink the same amount of beer and exercise more, and that should reduce/eliminate the extra weight. Drinking alcohol doesn’t make you a diabetic any more then eating to many cheeseburgers.
Last, without knowing any details, I’m not sure why you are so concerned about your brothers drinking. Two or three beers every night isn’t going to kill him. (unless he drinks them in a hour and then drives home…) I’m sure you’re worried about him, but unless his drinking is causing problems in his life, I wouldn’t worry about it. If its not bad, let him drink and live his life. If its a problem, hold the intervention.