6 Ways Drinking Water May Help Support Healthy Blood Sugar

Key Takeaways

• Drinking water helps lower blood sugar by diluting glucose in the bloodstream.
• Staying hydrated supports kidney function, which helps remove excess sugar from the body through urine.
• Dehydration can trigger hormonal responses that raise blood sugar levels, making adequate hydration important for blood sugar control.

Drinking more than one liter of water per day can lower your risk of developing low blood sugar. An adequate intake of water helps prevent dehydration, supports kidney function, and helps regulate blood sugar levels.1 

1. Your Blood Sugar Concentration Is Managed

The most direct way water impacts blood sugar is by influencing your blood volume. Blood volume is primarily composed of water (about 80%).2 When you are dehydrated, the total volume of fluid in the bloodstream decreases.3 

A decrease in blood volume causes the remaining glucose (the main sugar in your body and the primary source of energy) to become more concentrated in the blood’s plasma.4 This results in higher blood sugar readings, even if the absolute amount of glucose in your body hasn’t changed.

Drinking water can help reduce blood sugar levels by diluting glucose.4 However, it is not a substitute for insulin, which is commonly used to lower blood sugar in people with diabetes.

2. Your Kidney Function Improves

The kidneys play a crucial role in regulating blood sugar levels. Water plays a vital role in improving the filtration system of the kidneys. When blood glucose levels rise above a certain threshold, the kidneys filter excess glucose into the urine.5

People with diabetes require more fluid to excrete excess sugar through urine. Being adequately hydrated allows for the amount of urination needed to eliminate excess glucose, which reduces the total amount of sugar in the bloodstream.67

3. Your Hormones Are Better Regulated

Water deficiency can also affect the release and function of hormones involved in metabolizing glucose. Dehydration triggers the release of hormones (cortisol and vasopressin), which raise blood sugar levels.8

Cortisol and vasopressin signal the liver to release more glucose in the blood. Vasopressin also conserves water by reducing urine output. Elevated levels of vasopressin have been linked to an increased risk of high blood sugar and type 2 diabetes.8

Drinking water suppresses the release of these stress hormones, preventing the liver from releasing stored glucose into your bloodstream.8 

4. You Have Less Risk of Dehydration

Dehydration increases the body’s sugar concentration and is difficult to manage, particularly in people with diabetes.4

High blood sugar causes increased urination to help the body eliminate excess sugar.9 Increased urination can lead to excessive water loss and may worsen dehydration and induce hyperglycemia (high blood sugar). The continuous cycle can lead to dangerously high glucose levels.

Drinking water improves hydration and stabilizes blood sugar levels, helping break this cycle. 

5. Your Insulin Sensitivity Is Improved

The basic metabolic functions, such as sugar control, occur at the cellular level in the body. These cells require sufficient water to maintain their structure and function properly, a process known as cellular hydration.  Adequate water or fluid intake is crucial for achieving cellular hydration.10

Insulin lowers blood sugar levels by facilitating the movement of glucose from the bloodstream into cells, where it is stored as glycogen. Cellular hydration levels also play an essential role in this mechanism.
11

Research suggests that optimal hydration is necessary to support the cell’s ability to respond to insulin. It improves insulin sensitivity and facilitates the effective reuptake of glucose from the bloodstream.12

6. You May Indirectly Have Better Weight Control

Obesity and excess weight are significant contributors to insulin resistance (when the body’s cells do not respond well to insulin) and blood sugar regulation.13 Water plays an indirect yet effective role in maintaining a healthy body weight and improving sugar control.

Water can act as an appetite suppressant, causing increased satiety (the feeling of fullness) and leading to reduced food consumption.14

Consistent water intake helps you manage food portions and overall caloric intake, leading to healthy weight control. Weight management is one of the most effective long-term strategies for naturally lowering blood sugar.15

Source: www.verywellhealth.com