Alcoholism Increases the Risk to Diabetes
Alcoholism Increases the Risk to Diabetes
Alcoholism is a vice that ought to be fought at all costs. This is because apart from the health risks and diseases associated with it, it also affects the economy of a nation. Today there are very many people who have been rendered liabilities to their families as a result of their addiction to alcohol. Most people who have become dependent on alcohol have no places to work. Even if they were employed they will lose their jobs as no organization is interested in employing a person who can’t control his craving for alcohol. Being drunk and disorderly is a common recipe for arrests and so it is not strange to hear men who have been jailed for assaulting their wives when under the influence of alcohol. These are the heavy penalties that our societies suffer as a result of alcoholism. However there are some problems that will affect the individual health wise and this includes diabetes.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a lifelong condition that is associated with high blood sugar levels. The term describes a group of metabolic diseases in which the person has high blood sugar level which is either caused by deficiency in insulin production is or failure of the body’s cells do not respond appropriately to insulin, or both. Common symptoms associated with high blood sugar level are that the patients will typically experience frequent urination, they will become increasingly thirsty and hungry at the same time.
Diabetes is a serious disease that has disabled many people around the globe and so anything that may heighten the risk of getting this disease should be avoided. In 2013 alone it was estimated that over 382 people in the world had diabetes. That just shows how serious problem diabetes really is. The most common diabetes symptoms include frequent urination, intense thirst and hunger, weight gain, unusual weight loss, fatigue, cuts and bruises that do not heal male sexual dysfunction, numbness and tingling in hands and feet.
What is the relationship between diabetes and alcoholism?
Through numerous research studies scientists have been able to establish the fact that alcoholism can increase a person’s chances of getting diabetes. As known to many, diabetes type 2 is caused when there is insulin resistance. In an experiment done on rats it was found that binge drinking directly caused insulin resistance. In the past it was the link between binge drinking and diabetes had not been established but now scientist have proved that binge drinking alone aside from other factors as overeating can directly cause insulin resistance thereby leading to type 2 diabetes. People with a history of binge drinking have a higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.
A group of Researchers at the Diabetes Obesity and Metabolism Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in New York, published their findings in the 30 January issue of the journal Science Translational Medicine. The scientists report that alcohol appears to disrupt insulin-receptor signaling by causing inflammation in the hypothalamus, an area of the brain that among other things is important for metabolic processes.
Alcoholism induces Insulin Resistance
Typically, the main role of the insulin receptor is to control the uptake of glucose. When there is a decrease in signaling of this receptor the cells will not be able to take up glucose, and this will result in too high sugar level in the blood a condition known as hyperglycemia among other consequences of type 2 diabetes.
Insulin resistance refers to a condition in which insulin does not bind properly to the receptor, thus hindering its ability to send the right signals to cells so they can use glucose for energy. This can happen even when the pancreas is producing enough insulin to keep glucose levels under control. One major symptom of insulin resistance is high levels of insulin in the bloodstream. This is a major component of metabolic syndrome, a group of risk factors that together increase the risk for type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, and stroke.
Senior author Christoph Buettner, an Associate Professor of Medicine, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Disease, at the Icahn School of Medicine, is quoted in a research report saying; “Insulin resistance has emerged as a key metabolic defect leading to type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD).” This statement shows the link between insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
“Someone who regularly binge drinks even once a week, over many years, may remain in an insulin resistant state for an extended period of time, potentially years,” he adds.
In their study, the researchers replicated human binge drinking by giving rats alcohol for three days while keeping another group of rats as controls. Both the groups had the same calorie intake but the control group was not fed alcohol. After the three days the researchers then ran a series of tests to check glucose metabolism. They found that even when there was no trace of alcohol left in their bloodstream, the binge drinking rats had higher levels of circulating insulin than the control rats this was a proof of insulin resistance in the drinking rats. This increase in circulating insulin hormone in the blood of drinking rats was induced by the alcohol.
Another author Claudia Lindtner, an Associate Researcher of Medicine, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Disease at the Icahn School of Medicine, is quoted in the report saying; “Previously it was unclear whether binge drinking was associated with an increased risk for diabetes, since a person who binge drinks may also tend to binge eat, or at least eat too much.”
“Our data show for the first time that binge drinking induces insulin resistance directly and can occur independent of differences in caloric intake,” she concludes.
Drug Addiction is a vice that should be fought by all means that is why we at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center are committed to availing help to addicts and offering them a place to call home. It does not matter what kind of addiction you are wrestling with right now, just call on Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) today and begin your journey to victory against addiction.
Alcoholism Increases the Risk to Diabetes
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