A Drink (or Two) a Day Could Reduce Diabetics Risk, Says Science

For the 29+ million people in the United States with diabetes, keeping their disease in check can be a tricky balance. Blood sugar and insulin levels dictate their day, and although certain foods can be worry free, much more are not. While keeping diabetes under control is doable, any additional help against the disease will always be accepted with open arms.

Open arms which are holding beers, apparently.

A new study published in Diabetologia found that participants who consumed certain types of alcohol three to four times a week saw a considerably reduced risk of developing diabetes. Men saw a risk reduction of 27 percent, while women saw a risk reduction of 32 percent.

It did matter what the participants were drinking, however. For women who drank gin, there was an increase in the risk of getting diabetes by 83 percent. The risk reduction for both genders ranged from 25 percent to 30 percent for participants who drank seven glasses of wine per week, while only men saw a risk reduction (of 21 percent) when drinking one to six beers per week.

The study looked at the data from over 70,000 total participants and was self-reported through the Danish Health Examination Survey of 2007-2008. (Approximately 5.7 percent of the Danish population has diabetes.)

Although the results seem promising, always consider the medical warnings for your medication used to treat diabetes. Certain common diabetes medications warn strongly against alcohol consumption with the medications.

Source: The Guardian 

from Reader's Digest http://ift.tt/2v96zbi