High blood sugar associated with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes normally gives rise to increased thirst. Additional fluid intake is needed to dilute the high concentration of blood sugar and to compensate for the extra water loss that these conditions give rise to. A reduced fluid intake in type 2 diabetes can lead to a dangerous kind of dehydration called hyperglycemic hyperosmolar non-ketotic syndrome. In healthy individuals, a high fluid intake may help prevent high blood sugar.
High Blood Sugar
A high intake of refined carbohydrates, such as sweets, white rice, white pasta and white bread, can cause fluctuations in glucose, or blood sugar. Glucose stimulates the production of insulin, a hormone that informs the cells when glucose is available in the bloodstream. Over time, glucose fluctuations can tire out the insulin receptors and make them shut down. This makes insulin unable to communicate to the cells when glucose is available for them to use as energy. The result is chronically high blood sugar. The condition is also known as insulin resistance. Type 2 diabetes is a severe case of insulin resistance.
Increased Thirst and Fluid Intake
When cells cannot absorb glucose, glucose does not convert into energy, stored sugar or fat. It stays in the blood. If the blood sugar levels keep rising, however, death would soon ensue. Fortunately, the body has other ways of getting rid of excess blood sugar. One way is to excrete it in the urine. When glucose is excreted, extra fluids are passed together with it. This leads to more frequent urination, increased thirst and increased fluid intake.
Hyperosmolar Non-Ketotic Syndrome
Hyperglycemic hyperosmolar non-ketotic syndrome, or HHNK, is a state of extreme dehydration as a result of high blood sugar. The condition occurs when excess blood sugar is excreted in the urine while the fluid intake is very low. HHNK usually only occurs in children, elderly and sick patients who are unable to feel thirst or who have difficulty taking in adequate amounts of liquids. HHNK is often lethal.
Water to Protect Against High Blood Sugar
A preliminary study of the correlation between fluid intake and high blood sugar presented at the 2011 meeting of the American Diabetes Association found that individuals who drink more than 24 oz. of water a day are 21 percent less like to develop high blood sugar compared to individuals who drink less than 16 oz. a day. The researchers believe that vasopressin, a hormone that controls body water by regulating the loss of water in urine, may be involved in the underlying mechanism.
References
- American Diabetes Association: Diabetes Basics
- National Diabetes Information Clearing House; Insulin Resistance and Pre-Diabetes; October 2008
- American Diabetes Association: Hyperosmolar Hyperglycemic Nonketotic Syndrome
- "Pediatric Diabetes"; Hyperglycemic Hyperosmolar Non-Ketotic Syndrome in Children with Type 2 Diabetes; S.H. Fourtner, et al.; September 2005
- The Annual Meeting of the American Diabetes Association; Low Water Intake and Risk for New-Onset Hyperglycemia; R. Roussel, et al.; June 2011
