Alcohol damage to pancreas causing diabetes?

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ukjeff27

ukjeff27

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
anyone know anything about alcohol damaging the pancreas?
 
nope but there's been mutterings in a few threads about it I think, and I have always wondered if that was the reason for my reason for being on this here forum.
 
rossi_mac said:
nope but there's been mutterings in a few threads about it I think, and I have always wondered if that was the reason for my reason for being on this here forum.
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It was my first question in the Emergency Room when the doctor said I had diabetes. He asked me if I had ever had pancreatitis so I asked him 'how would I know?' He said, 'if you had - you'd know!' Since I still didn't know I presumed I hadn't, and also that alcohol could cause pancreatitis and subsequently diabetes from damaging the pancreas.

This is only a hazy memory though, as I had a BG of 37 at the time!
 
I dont know if this is off this topic or not, but when your diagnosed with diabetes they say if your a smoker stop immediatly so why if your a drinker do they not say stop that as well? or does it depend on your type?
 
when Dx i asked about the drink and told slimline tonic and gin ...?:( but as in all the rest.... its about Moderation in my opinion ....
 
Steffie said:
I dont know if this is off this topic or not, but when your diagnosed with diabetes they say if your a smoker stop immediatly so why if your a drinker do they not say stop that as well? or does it depend on your type?
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Smoking has a very harmful effect on your cardio-vascular system, as does diabetes if not well-controlled. Stopping smoking removes this 'double-whammy' effect on your arteries! Smoking also directly affects blood sugar, because the carbon monoxide in it affects the efficiency of insulin taking up the glucose from the blood.

Drinking, on the other hand, has no effect on the CV system, and is not harmful in moderation. The only dangers with alcohol and diabetes are that it might cause your insulin production to yo-yo if you are Type2, or cause hypos if you are Type 1 or Type 2 on insulin.
 
Northerner said:
Smoking has a very harmful effect on your cardio-vascular system, as does diabetes if not well-controlled. Stopping smoking removes this 'double-whammy' effect on your arteries! Smoking also directly affects blood sugar, because the carbon monoxide in it affects the efficiency of insulin taking up the glucose from the blood.

Drinking, on the other hand, has no effect on the CV system, and is not harmful in moderation. The only dangers with alcohol and diabetes are that it might cause your insulin production to yo-yo if you are Type2, or cause hypos if you are Type 1 or Type 2 on insulin.
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Thanks Alan that explains it , so i guess if you were a heavy drinker though it could still cause you alot harm, am your right moderation is the key.
 
If you had acute pancreatitis you would know about it - it is one of the most painful things you can have. My FIL had it - in his case the problem was called by gall-stoned blocking the duct from the pancreas. That caused the digestive juices the pancreas secretes to flow back and try and digest itself. We were told that pancreatitis can cause blood poisoning which then causes other organs to fail.

It was mentioned at an out patient appt that the 2 main causes of pancreatitis are gall-stones and alcohol. The pancreatitis can permanently damage the pancreas and that can in some people lead to them developing diabetes. My FIL was lucky he made a full recovery.
 
Im pretty sure i had pancreatisis, but only the once, most of the stuff ive read says you have to have it quite a few times to cause diabetes, perhaps i should just be happy to have reasonably good control and stop looking for answers!
 
when i was diagnosed the doc said do you smoke or drink ,i had`nt had a drink in over 7 years when he asked ,the only smoking i ever done was at work in a brass foundry when ever i got burnt ,never smoked a fag though lol
 
Not quite sure how alchol works on the body except if I have too much I'm drunk. I'd always thought it was the liver that it had most effect on.

When first diagnosed with high blood pressure, long before the diabetes, I was told (by the docotor) a glass or two of wine every three or four days would help me relax.
 
I used to know someone who was an alcoholic and they developed pancreatitis as a result of their alcoholism and used to be doubled up in agony with it. Their GP told them that unless they cut out drinking it would just get worse and of course the damage to the liver would be bad as well.

I imagine that if you drank too much alcohol over a period of time you could cause enough damage to your pancrease to develop diabetes.
 
Caroline said:
Not quite sure how alchol works on the body except if I have too much I'm drunk. I'd always thought it was the liver that it had most effect on.

When first diagnosed with high blood pressure, long before the diabetes, I was told (by the docotor) a glass or two of wine every three or four days would help me relax.
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I first read that as every 3-4 hours! Woops maybe thats where I went/am going wrong!

This thread I find really interesting is there any way of finding out after the event if it is booze that caused diabetes??

How painful is pancreatitis? At times some organs would make me think beeeep but never for too long?

Never heard of pancreatitis before.

Also a friend of a friend recently passed away from pancreatic cancer, is there any link between that and this or in general diabetes??

Sorry for all these questions..

Ta

Rossi
 
I think the pain depends if its mild or acute. My FIL whose pancreatitis was caused by gall-stones, had an acute case, his pancreas was so inflamed it was splinting the diaphragm and that was causing breathing problems. His case was so severe that he was in ICU and was only given a 50/50 chance.

The pain he was in was unbelievable - he was sedated (with morphine)in ICU (to all purposes artificially unconscious) and he still jumped and clutched his stomach. He ended up with a morphine sedation and an epidural.

I think he may be an unusual case - but certainly if you had that level of pain you would know.
 
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