title: Does ethanol cause hypoglycaemia in overnight fasted patients with type 1 diabetes?
abstract: Drinking ethanol is widely believed to predispose to hypoglycaemia in patients with Type 1 diabetes, the suggested mechanism being suppression of hepatic gluconeogenesis. The hypoglycaemic effect of ethanol was investigated by measuring steady-state glucose infusion rate during a hypoinsulinaemic (mean plasma insulin 14 +/- 1.3 (SEM) mU l-1), euglycaemic (blood glucose 5 mmol l-1) clamp. Nine patients with Type 1 diabetes fasted overnight and then had, in single-blind fashion, ethanol 0.5 g kg-1 by intravenous bolus followed by 0.25 g kg-1 h-1 or matched volumes of saline. After 1 h of ethanol or saline, all infusions were stopped and blood glucose monitored for a further 90 min. A 60-min ethanol infusion leading to a steady-state blood concentration of 26.2 +/- 1.4 mmol l-1 (120.7 mg %) did not alter the glucose infusion rate needed to maintain euglycaemia (1.22 +/- 0.12 mg kg-1 min-1 before and 1.23 +/- 0.12 during ethanol infusion), the initial rate of fall of blood glucose (ethanol 0.039 mmol l-1 min-1 vs control (0.033), the lowest blood glucose (4.43 mmol l-1 vs 4.31), or the rate of blood glucose recovery (ethanol 0.050 mmol l-1 min-1 vs control 0.054). We conclude that a moderate amount of ethanol, administered intravenously under controlled conditions, does not lead to hypoglycaemia in patients with Type 1 diabetes who have fasted overnight.
authors.affiliation: Diabetes Unit, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK.
authors.forename: K T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Moriarty
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Maggs
authors.forename: I A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Macdonald
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Tattersall
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000097:blood*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005215:Fasting; D005260:Female; D015309:Glucose Clamp Technique; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007003:Hypoglycemia / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000209:etiology*; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D007332:Insulin Infusion Systems; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D000431:Ethanol; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; D007328:Insulin