WHY ALCOHOL ”LOWERS” YOUR BLOOD GLUCOSE

🎙️ Midlife Mayhem – Episode: Why Alcohol Lowers Blood Glucose (And Why That’s NOT a Good Thing)

📅 Date: May 15, 2025
🎧 Host: Joanne Lee Cornish

🔎 Episode Summary

In today’s episode, we flip the script on everything you thought you knew about alcohol and blood sugar.

Did you know drinking can flatten your blood glucose instead of raising it? That’s not a pass to drink margaritas guilt-free—far from it. Joanne breaks down what really happens when alcohol hits your liver, how it hijacks fat loss, and why middle-aged men and women need to be especially cautious, especially if you're fasting, on GLP-1 meds, or chasing fat loss goals.

This episode is packed with decades of experience, practical science, and the real reason alcohol might be sabotaging your progress—even when your blood sugar monitor says you’re in the clear.

🧠 What You’ll Learn

• Why alcohol can lower or flatten your blood glucose (and why that’s misleading)

• What really happens inside your liver when you drink

• Why fat burning stops cold when alcohol is in your system—even if your blood sugar looks “normal”

• The myth of "clean spirits" and why they still shut down lipolysis

• How alcohol affects insulin-sensitive people, especially in a fasted state

• The hidden dangers of combining GLP-1 medications and alcohol

• Why middle-aged bodies handle alcohol differently (slower breakdown, greater impact)

• The difference between daily drinking vs. occasional binge drinking (with a side of sarcasm 😉)

🕒 Timestamps

00:00 – Intro: Three episodes coming soon!
01:25 – Alcohol and blood glucose: Why it doesn’t spike
04:12 – How the liver manages blood sugar and fat
07:20 – Alcohol’s priority: Why everything else shuts down
10:05 – Lipolysis and vodka: The 75% myth explained
12:10 – “But it’s just clean spirits” – Not so fast
14:00 – What CGMs don’t show you about alcohol
16:50 – How alcohol tricks people trying to lose fat
19:30 – Risks for hypoglycemia and those on GLP-1 meds
21:45 – Midlife metabolism + alcohol = double trouble
23:30 – Final thoughts and how to work with Joanne

📩 Want to Work with Joanne?

Email: joe@theshrinkshop.com
Share your goals, your roadblocks, and what you dream of achieving—and get the expert help you deserve.

🔥 Related Episodes Coming Soon

• Thyroid & A1C Confusion: Why “healthy” midlife women are seeing prediabetic numbers

• Midlife Injuries: The aches that show up out of nowhere—and how to prevent them