Diabetes and the Myth of Drinking Water
Diabetes and the Myth of Drinking Water by Lee Harrington
I know I'm going to be stepping on toes with this one - but at least try to hear me out. Drinking water is healthy for all the reasons ANYBODY should drink water and certainly to keep from being dehydrated. "Drinking lots of water to help lower your blood sugar" - is nonsense. Complete nonsense.
First - what's the problem with excess blood sugar? We have to understand this to understand the folly of "drinking lots of water to help with blood sugar". The problem is glycation - when sugar attaches to proteins, particularly hemoglobin - the red blood cells that take oxygen to all the rest of your body. When red blood cells are glycated, they do not carry oxygen. It is not "glucose in your blood" that causes health issues, but glucose stuck to your red blood cells that do.
When you go to the doctor and they order an HBA1C test - sometimes shortened to A1c - it is actually measuring the percentage of your red blood cells that are glycated. 6.5% or higher, and you have diabetes and many systems in your body are being damaged: heart disease, blindness, kidney disease, losing toes and feet - are all caused by glycated red blood cells (and excess insulin, but that is another post).
What does your home blood sugar test, pricking your finger, measure? It measures glucose in your blood - not the glycation of your red blood cells. So — if you drink a lot of water - you MAY dilute the glucose in your blood marginally and that MAY lower the home reading of blood glucose (marginally at best). But you haven't changed your diabetes one bit.
You may pee out sugar. Yes, that's the classic sign you have diabetes, sugar in you urine. It's your body's last ditch effort to get rid of excess sugar. So — doesn't drinking lots of water help? No. Your kidneys will do their thing to eliminate excess blood sugar when you pee, regardless of peeing a lot more because you drank a lot more. And, btw, peeing out sugar harms your kidneys.
The solution isn't drinking water - it's not eating sugar / carbohydrates.
Burning sugar through exercise - yes - this helps. It's just really hard to out exercise a bad diet. So, drink water as everyone should, diabetic or not. Being dehydrated is bad for your health. But drinking lots of water because you ate food you shouldn't have — no, that does nothing for you.
To be clear - we should all drink water for optimal health. Being dehydrated is harmful. You just don't need to drink "lots and lots of water" as if it's going to help with diabetes. Diabetics typically drink a lot anyway as your kidneys trying to remove sugar from your body causes excess urination and drives thirst. But don't mix cause and effect. Don't drink a lot in vain hope of flushing out your sugar - stop eating the sugar.
Here someone else say the same thing: Does Drinking Water Lower Blood Sugar? The Truth Unraveled
p.s. Always consult your own health team for your specific needs.
p.p.s. Educate yourself to fully participate in your health strategy.
My Journey: lessoflee.wordpress.com
Books to read: Why We Get Sick by Dr Ben Bickman, The Diabetes Code by Dr Jason Fung
The Ex-Diabetic
Healing Is A Natural Process
A Guide to Effective New Year's Resolutions
A How to Count Carbs
In Praise of Yoyo Dieting
Written by Lee Harrington
Published September 8th, 2024
Social Media:
Website
Twitter
YouTube
