Red Wine and good BGLs

[MClark]

Happy New Year everyone!
I recently started drinking a small glass of red wine with dinner. I noticed that my 2 hour post meal readings are really low since I have started this...let me qualify really low..pre-meal at 98...post 125. And, I have noticed that I can eat some carbs like potatos without my readings sky rocketing. Anyone else experience this? Anyone think this is a practice to be frowned on?
Thanks for your input.
Cheers.
Mylene

[Evermont]

Anyone think this is a practice to be frowned on?...

Well, if you have white carpet and bad coordination red wine can be a problem. Other than that its fine, recommended even.

Red wine of course has alcohol which is well known to lower BG - though "one small glass" seems like hardly enough to notice. This is a short term effect. Many other things can have the effect you describe. Glucometer inaccuracy, fiber or fat content in meals, your stress level, the types of potatoes or method or duration of cooking, even all of the above.

Red wine may also have a long term beneficial effect because it contains resveratrol (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resveratrol) which among other wonderful things, has recently been shown to help resolve insulin resistance. Now the amount of resveratrol in a red wine can vary quite a bit from one brand to the next and you won't see it on the label so it helps to know that wines made from a type of grape called "muscadine" have by far the most. It turns out that the skins and seeds of the grapes actually have most of the good stuff but they are a byproduct of the wine making so most of it doesn't end up in the bottle. It is now possible however to purchase muscadine grape skin powder. Resveratrol has also been synthesized but, as usual, whole foods rule the day.

Good work on the low numbers - have a drink on me!

[xMenace]

I agree with Evermont. It certainly can help control (basal) BGs, but I don't consider it a major tool. There is likely some other reason for lower post prandials that you are not seeing. You'll need longer term, repeatable results before I'm convinced. Eat the same tonight with no wine.

[slipperyelm]

Never heard that about muscadine wines. I threw away some muscadine wine last week. It had been passed on to me by someone who got it as a gift but does not drink at all. Oh, my gosh, this was nasty stuff. I think a lot of sugar was dumped in to cover the horrendous taste. I poured it down the drain. :T

[spinnb8]

i love my cabernet wine! keeps my bgl happy also.
merlot not so much, but cab and shiraz both seem to make it happy. and make me happy

[DCaplinger]

Odd, I'm the exact opposite. I love a good merlot. Absolutely, wine is good for you and your BGLs. Besides the benefits for diabetics, it's also very good for the heart.

Just like anything else in our lives, it's all about moderation.

Regards,

[Evermont]

...Oh, my gosh, this was nasty stuff. I think a lot of sugar was dumped in to cover the horrendous taste...

I've haven't tried any muscadine wines yet. I understand there are a number of them. I did get some muscadine grape juice which was very sweet but I think it was 100% juice so maybe many or all muscadines are really sweet. I prefer a merlot or chianti myself I guess.

But the flavor isn't really bad, perhaps you got a bad example, or a bad sample. Either way, I'm in it for the health - flavor is secondary.

[davef]

Used Red Wine as my drink of choice over the Christmas/New Year holidays and found my BGs were great. I was even able to indulge in a few more carbs. Have our last "Holiday Party" on Friday after which, the indulging ends!

[silverfrost]

Wine is nice to my BG. I also like to have a small glass of red wine occasionally. I've been drinking Devonian, but would also like to try Merlot.

[Puppypants]

I am a big fan of 2 Buck Chuck merlot (Charles Shaw wine from Trader Joe's). It is very good to my bg as well!

[Cyborg]

Anything that keeps your liver pre-occupied so it doesn't dump glucose into your system, including alcohol, will help reduce your bg. Make sure it's not a sweet wine or sweet mixed drink, and don't become an alcoholic! :beer: