Pancreas and Digestion of Sugar

Immediate effects of alcohol use

Heavy alcohol use on a single occasion can lead to dangerously low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia), which can cause symptoms of shaking, sweating, dizziness, blurred vision and, if not treated, brain damage.[4, 5]

Long-term effects of alcohol use

Chronic heavy alcohol use can cause acute pancreatitis (sudden inflammation and damage to the pancreas that resolves over several days)[9, 26] and chronic pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas that does not heal and worsens over time).[26, 27] The pancreas is a gland that secretes digestive enzymes and releases insulin, which regulates sugar levels in the blood.[26] Acute pancreatitis typically causes abdominal and back pain, nausea and fever[27] and may occur a few hours or up to two days after drinking alcohol.[26] In 20 to 30 percent of people, acute pancreatitis is a severe, life-threatening condition, which requires treatment in hospital.[28] Chronic pancreatitis typically occurs in people aged 30 to 40 years old and can cause abdominal pain, weight loss, diabetes, malnutrition and oily poos (because the pancreas helps to digest fat and when the pancreas is damaged, fats are excreted out of the bowel instead of being absorbed into the body).[26] The risk of acute and chronic pancreatitis increases with higher alcohol use.[9]

Moderate alcohol use is associated with a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes, although the exact reason for this is not certain.[9]