Alcohol and risk of type 2

There are health risks from drinking alcohol for everyone, for instance heart disease, but drinking too much alcohol can also contribute to the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Weight gain

Alcohol contains a lot of hidden calories and sugar so it can be a cause of weight gain, which is an established risk factor for type 2 diabetes. It can be surprising how many calories are in alcohol, for example, a pint of lager is equivalent to a slice of pizza.

Below you can see the calorie content for a range of alcoholic drinks:

Damage to the pancreas

Heavy drinking can cause inflammation to your pancreas, which is the organ responsible for producing insulin which regulates your blood glucose levels. If you continue to drink heavily it can lead to a condition called pancreatitis which will stop your pancreas from working properly.

Insulin resistance

Drinking too much alcohol can reduce your body’s sensitivity to insulin which means that it doesn’t break down sugar as well as it should. This will result in higher blood glucose levels, which over time can lead to type 2 diabetes or worsen existing diabetes.

Alcohol makes you feel worse over time

Some people think a few drinks will cheer them up, but alcohol can only make you feel worse over time because it is a “depressant”. Most alcohol and some drugs affect the part of the brain that makes us feel low.

One of the best things you can do for your body to help with stress is to move more. It’s a fact that physical activity helps improve health in may ways, and reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Talking to others also helps with stress. You should talk to your healthcare team about how you're feeling because it’s part of the care you should be offered. North West London also offers talking therapies to support you.

Or you might prefer to talk to someone close to you, like a friend or family member: it’s good to talk, and it’s ok not to be ok.