People with diabetes should be educated about safe levels of alcohol intake, according to Australian guidelines, and should be told that there is an increased risk of hypoglycaemia if alcohol is consumed while using medications such as sulfonylureas and insulin.6
Current Australian guidelines to reduce health risks from drinking alcohol recommend no more than 10 standard drinks (a standard drink contains 10 g alcohol) per week, and no more than four standard drinks on any one day.3 Low-alcohol beers are an alternative to ordinary or diet beers. The carbohydrate content of low-carbohydrate beer is not significantly less than that of full-carbohydrate beers, and the alcohol content is often full strength. Light (low alcohol) beer has about 2.7% alcohol (compared with around 4.6% in a standard beer), but it has the same number of kilojoules as a low-carb beer, and a similar amount of carbohydrates to a standard beer. Any benefit will be negated unless the person is consuming the same number or fewer of standard drinks.
It is recommended that people with diabetes abstain from alcohol if they plan to drive.7
Australian alcohol guidelines can be found on the National Health and Medical Research Council website.