If you have Type 1 diabetes and are thinking of drinking alcohol, you’ll want to check out a new, free app from Pool Hospital Diabetes Center.
For people who have diabetes, drinking alcohol can have unpredictable effects on blood glucose, including increasing the risk of hypoglycemia (low blood glucose). The app, “The Type 1 Diabetes Friend: Alcohol Guide,” provides profiles of different alcoholic drinks that include information on the drink’s sugar, carbohydrate, and alcohol levels. The app also has a list of hypoglycemia symptoms, along with steps that can be taken to counteract hypoglycemia.
“Young people with diabetes are just like anyone else — chances are they will be drinking, but don’t necessarily want to tell their parents or doctors about it,” notes app developer Andy Pulman. “The idea of this is to have a friendly adviser that they can look to for information but is not seen as being direct nagging from either the health service or their parents.”
For more information, click here. And to download the app, click the “view in iTunes” button on this page. And to learn more about drinking alcohol with diabetes, read this series by diabetes dietitian Amy Campbell.
This blog entry was written by Web Editor Diane Fennell.