Alcohol & Sugar: Robbing You Blind of Nutrients!

Excess drinking during the COVID pandemic increased by over 20% in the US leading to an increase in liver disease and overall health complications (Brown, 2021). 

Alcohol consumption is especially problematic for those with pre-diabetes and diabetes. Alcohol inhibits key metabolic pathways in the body that have to do with sugar regulation, including gluconeogenesis. Gluconeogenesis is the pathway that allows the body to make glucose or sugar from non-carbohydrate sources. This process happens mostly in the liver and is critical to preventing hypoglycemia, or dangerous drops in blood sugar. 

Combining alcohol and sugar can lead to dangerous reactive hypoglycemia or sugar crashes (Emanuele et al.,1998).

Who Stole My Thiamine?

Both high alcohol and high sugar consumption strip the body of vitamin B1, also known as thiamin. Thiamin is vitally important for glucose metabolism. A severe thiamine deficiency can lead to Beriberi, an illness associated with parts of the world experiencing food insecurity. Symptoms include neuropathy, burning feet, possible muscle wasting, and heart problems. However, it is now clear that the nutrient-poor diets of many Western countries may lead to subclinical Beriberi and similar cardiovascular and nervous system problems.

Thiamine plays a critical role in nerve health. For example, it is necessary to make myelin, the fatty substance that protects nerves similar to how power cords must be insulated. If the myelin breaks down, it is more difficult for the nerves to function properly (Calderon-Ospina 2020). That is one reason peripheral neuropathy is such a big problem for both diabetics and alcoholics. 

What is Alcohol Anyway? 

Alcohol is an Arabic word that refers to an intoxicating agent produced usually by fermentation. Alcohol suppresses the central nervous system and slows down brain activity. This is why many people who drink may have trouble making good health decisions such as passing on a second dessert. 

After ingestion, alcohol (ethanol) is converted to acetaldehyde and eventually to acetate. All three can cause harm to the body. Ethanol raises oxidative stress and inflammation within the body. Most chronic illnesses have chronic inflammation as a core issue. Acecetaldyde is highly reactive in the body and can impact DNA methylation (Rumgay, et al., 2021)

Alcohol is first absorbed in the stomach, which is why is never a good idea to drink without eating. It then passes to the liver where special enzymes begin to break it down. Alcohol is extremely taxing to the liver. 

Alcohol, Diabetes, and Cirrhosis

Liver cirrhosis refers to the permanent scaring of the liver. Cirrhosis greatly increases the chances of developing liver cancer and eventual liver failure. Both alcoholism and diabetes increase the risk of liver cirrhosis. 

We are now learning that there are gender differences in how much alcohol a person can tolerate without increasing their risk of cirrhosis.  For example, in the case of liver cirrhosis women are at higher risk than men and with far less alcohol consumption (Roerecke et al., 2019)

Alcohol and Cancer

4% of cancers worldwide are directly linked to alcohol consumption. Alcohol is probably a contributing factor in many other cases of cancer. Liver, esophageal, colon, and breast are examples of cancers that are sensitive to alcohol consumption. Since 1988 alcohol has been classified as a class one carcinogen (Rumgay et al., 2021).

Wait – I thought alcohol was GOOD for my heart?

There has been conflicting information over the years as to whether or not drinking alcohol has health benefits for diabetics, particularly in regard to cardiovascular health. While light to moderate drinking (less than 2 drinks a day) may appear to improve some lipid markers I would argue that the negative far outweighs the positive. 

Here are some possible “good” effects of drinking alcohol: 

• Increase to HDL or so-called good cholesterol

• May lower blood pressure

• May lower LDL or so-called bad cholesterol

What’s wrong with this picture? Well, for starters:

• Alcohol may cause triglycerides to increase

• May lower vitamin E – needed to protect cell membranes (Van De Wiel, 2004).

To make things worse, alcohol consumption makes peripheral neuropathy worse. In men, it lowers testosterone.  Diabetes does the same, producing a double whammy (Emanuele et al. 1998).

What Other Nutrients Are Depleted by Alcohol and Sugar?

Alcohol depletes all the B vitamins, as well as zinc, chromium, and magnesium. By the way, a high sugar, high carbohydrate diet will do the same. It stands to reason that alcohol and a high-carbohydrate diet are a particularly bad combination. 

What Can You Do?

Seek help if you have problems with alcohol. If you aren’t sure, ask yourself if anyone close to you has ever complained about your drinking. 

If you also consume a high-carbohydrate diet, know that you aren’t alone. Sugar is also extremely habit-forming and the two “bad habits” often go hand in hand. 

You may want to consider supplementing with thiamine. Magnesium is also helpful for promoting sleep, calming the nerves, and improving energy. Magnesium glycinate is a form of magnesium not likely to cause any GI distress. Food sources of magnesium include avocado, nuts, seeds, tofu, and leafy greens.

If you are going to supplement, using thiamine and magnesium together is preferable because the two work together synergistically. So if taking one does not help your symptoms, try adding in the other!

Disclaimer 

The included information is not meant to or should not be used to replace or substitute medical treatment, recommendations, or the advice of your physician or health care provider. The information contained within is strictly for educational purposes and is based on evidence-based nutrition. If you believe you have a medical problem or condition, please contact your physician or healthcare provider. 

References 

Brown, N. (2021. Alcohol consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic projected to cause more liver disease and deaths. Massachusettes General Hospital (Press Release) 

Calderón-Ospina, C. A., & Nava-Mesa, M. O. (2020). B Vitamins in the nervous system: Current knowledge of the biochemical modes of action and synergies of thiamine, pyridoxine, and cobalamin. CNS neuroscience & therapeutics, 26(1), 5–13. https://doi.org/10.1111/cns.13207

Emanuele, N. V., Swade, T. F., & Emanuele, M. A. (1998). Consequences of alcohol use in diabetics. Alcohol health and research world, 22(3), 211–219.

Roerecke, M., Vafaei, A., Hasan, O. S. M., Chrystoja, B. R., Cruz, M., Lee, R., Neuman, M. G., & Rehm, J. (2019). Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Liver Cirrhosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. The American journal of gastroenterology, 114(10), 1574–1586. https://doi.org/10.14309/ajg.0000000000000340

Rumgay, H., Murphy, N., Ferrari, P., & Soerjomataram, I. (2021). Alcohol and Cancer: Epidemiology and Biological Mechanisms. Nutrients, 13(9), 3173. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13093173

Van de Wiel, A. (2004). Diabetes mellitus and alcohol. Diabetes/metabolism research and reviews, 20(4), 263–267. https://doi.org/10.1002/dmrr.492