This drink is not sweet, but it has a very high blood sugar-raising capacity! Many people drink it every day

When you get together with friends, if there is no beer, it always feels like something is missing. After drinking beer (the beer in this article refers to industrial lager, which we commonly call "urine beer"), you will feel refreshed, but your blood sugar will also soar.

Although beer itself is not sweet, its mechanism of action in the human body is closely related to the fluctuation of blood sugar. How does beer affect blood sugar? What effects will this change have on the body? How to reduce the harm of drinking?

Why does beer cause blood sugar to spike even though it’s not sweet?

Beer is called "liquid bread" because of its great impact on blood sugar.

In comparison:

The glycemic index of white bread is about 75 (average);

The glycemic index of sucrose is 65 ;

The glycemic index of ordinary beer (such as a certain brand of beer with an alcohol content of 4.5%) is about 119. Even those that are slightly lower are around 65 to 90 , which are all high glycemic index foods (foods with a glycemic index of over 70 are considered high glycemic index foods).

It can be seen that various types of beer are more likely to cause drastic fluctuations in blood sugar after meals than bread and sugar.

Fast digestion and absorption

Like other sugary drinks, beer does not need to be chewed when drinking, and it does not contain protein, dietary fiber, fat and other ingredients that slow down digestion and absorption. As soon as you drink it, the sugar in it will be absorbed and utilized almost immediately, causing blood sugar to rise rapidly.

It is easy to consume too much in a short period of time

When drinking beer, considering the low alcohol content, many people tend to drink several bottles at a time, which can easily lead to the intake of more easily absorbed sugar in a short period of time.

Easier to eat more food

The drastic fluctuations in blood sugar caused by drinking beer will make people feel hungry quickly, causing them to eat more food, causing blood sugar to rise further.

What happens to your body when you drink alcohol for a long time?

When drinking, we should not only consider the amount of alcohol, but also the frequency and duration of drinking. Long-term drinking is harmful to the body in all aspects.

More likely to cause blood sugar fluctuations

Long-term drinking, whether it is beer, white wine or red wine, will cause frequent and relatively drastic fluctuations in blood sugar (blood sugar may rise or fall), which will accelerate the development of hyperglycemia and diabetes in patients.

The reason why blood sugar levels drop is that when a large amount of alcohol is consumed, alcohol stimulates insulin secretion and inhibits liver glycogenolysis, which may cause blood sugar to drop. This is very dangerous for people who have diabetes and need to keep their blood sugar levels stable, as hypoglycemia can cause dizziness, palpitations, shock and other symptoms.

Increased blood lipids

The impact of long-term drinking on blood lipids should not be underestimated. Alcohol is called "empty energy food". In addition to providing energy, it does not provide other nutrients such as protein, vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, carbohydrates and fat.

Drinking is equivalent to taking in more energy than the normal energy intake from eating. In addition, people tend to eat a lot when drinking, and the side dishes are relatively greasy and high in calories, which greatly increases the overall calorie intake. These excess calories will be converted into fat and stored in the body, causing elevated blood lipids and endangering cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health.

Liver damage

It is an indisputable fact that drinking alcohol damages the liver. Alcohol needs the liver to metabolize and detoxify, which increases the liver's workload. In addition, excessive alcohol intake is converted into fat, which promotes the development of fatty liver.

After suffering from fatty liver, if you continue to drink large amounts of alcohol for a long time, it will cause acute damage to the liver and increase the risk of fatty liver developing into cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Upset stomach

Long-term drinking will damage the stomach. Alcohol entering the gastrointestinal tract will directly cause damage to the gastric mucosa, causing congestion and edema of the gastric mucosa, which will then lead to gastrointestinal dysfunction, cause gastritis, and increase the risk of gastric cancer.

Some people eat less or even no staple food and vegetables when drinking, because alcohol provides too much energy. However, not eating staple food when drinking loses the protective effect of cereal staple food on gastric mucosa, making drinking more harmful to the gastrointestinal tract.

Impact on brain and nervous system health

Long-term drinking can significantly reduce a person's learning ability and memory, and also affect concentration and self-control. Studies have shown that drinking can lead to a reduction in people's overall brain volume, and the more alcohol you drink, the more serious this effect is. Long-term drinking can lead to organic brain lesions. Drinking just two cans of beer a day can cause brain aging.

How to reduce the harm of drinking?

Many studies have confirmed that alcohol is an important factor in causing disease. If you want to avoid the harm of alcohol to your body, the best way is to stay away from alcohol. If you encounter some situations in your life and work where you have to drink, you can try the following tips to appropriately reduce the harm caused by drinking.

Eat staple food before drinking

Prefer coarse grains

Eating some cereal staple foods properly can not only protect the gastric mucosa, but also the B vitamins in the cereals can make up for the large amount of vitamin B1 consumed in the alcohol metabolism process. ** Coarse grains are richer in B vitamins, such as red bean brown rice, oats, rice, millet rice, etc.

Drink slowly and take small sips , and eat more fresh fruits in between

Drinking slowly and in small sips can reduce the harm to the liver and other organs when a large amount of alcohol enters the body quickly. If you can eat more fresh fruits and vegetables while drinking, the water and vitamins they provide can also promote alcohol metabolism and protect the liver.

Drink plenty of water while drinking to promote alcohol excretion

You must drink water frequently and urinate more often while drinking, preferably warm water, lemonade, and light tea. Timely intake of these waters can promote the excretion of alcohol from the body.

Source: CCTV News

Preliminary review丨Chen Jiaqi

Review丨Wei Xinghua

Final Review丨Han Yonglin