Drinking enough water is important for everyone, but it’s especially important for people with diabetes.
When you stay hydrated, it helps your body keep blood sugar levels in a healthy range, protects your kidneys, and prevents serious problems that can come from being dehydrated.
Diabetes affects how the body uses glucose, which is a type of sugar that gives your body energy. When there’s too much sugar in the blood, it can cause many health problems.
One way the body tries to get rid of extra sugar is by making you urinate more. This means that people with diabetes often need to go to the toilet more often, which can lead to dehydration.
Dehydration is not just uncomfortable. It can make blood sugar levels go even higher, starting a harmful cycle. When your body is dehydrated, it produces a hormone called vasopressin.
This hormone tells the kidneys to hold on to water and tells the liver to make more sugar. That makes blood sugar rise even more, which is especially bad for people with diabetes.
A study in the journal Diabetes Care showed that higher levels of vasopressin were linked to a greater chance of getting type 2 diabetes. This shows how staying hydrated can help keep hormones balanced and blood sugar under control.
Your kidneys also need water to work well. They help filter waste and keep the balance of fluids in your body. High blood sugar can damage the kidneys over time, leading to a condition called diabetic nephropathy. Drinking enough water helps the kidneys do their job and may lower the chance of damage.
Not drinking enough water can also raise the risk of diabetic ketoacidosis, or DKA. This is a very serious problem that happens when the body starts using fat for energy instead of sugar.
This causes acids called ketones to build up in the blood. DKA is more likely when someone is dehydrated because the body can’t get rid of ketones as easily. Drinking water helps your body flush out these ketones.
Hydration is also good for the heart. People with diabetes have a higher risk of heart disease. Water helps keep your blood flowing and your blood pressure in a healthy range. When you’re dehydrated, your blood gets thicker, which makes the heart work harder and can raise the risk of clots.
The best drink to stay hydrated is water. It has no sugar and no calories. Other good choices are herbal teas or drinks without added sugar. Sugary drinks like soda or fruit juice can raise your blood sugar too much and should be avoided.
Most people should aim to drink about eight glasses of water each day. But the right amount depends on things like how active you are, where you live, and your overall health. If you have diabetes, it’s a good idea to ask your doctor how much water is right for you.
In short, drinking enough water every day is a simple but powerful way to stay healthy with diabetes. It helps you manage your blood sugar, protect your kidneys, prevent serious problems like DKA, and take care of your heart. Choosing water over sugary drinks is one small step that can make a big difference in your health.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about bananas and diabetes, and honey could help control blood sugar.
For more health information, please see recent studies about Vitamin D that may reduce dangerous complications in diabetes and results showing plant-based protein foods may help reverse type 2 diabetes.
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