Dehydration and Diabetes

Dehydration is associated with diabetes. Extreme thirst, one of the symptoms of diabetes is an obvious sign of dehydration diabetes. At the same time, excessive hunger is a misconception of thirst caused by diabetes.

Dehydration diabetes usually occurs during pre-diabetes stage and can be cured by drinking water and making healthier changes in lifestyle. Pre-diabetes period is when blood sugar is higher than usual but does not qualify as diabetes.

Water and sugar for the brain

Dehydration can be an underlying cause of diabetes, since the brain’s lack of water may result to diabetes. When there is no sufficient water in the brain, the latter shall need more sugar since the sugar it has cannot be utilized without enough water. To work well, the brain needs both water and sugar and if it lacks any of the two, you feel light-headedness. We usually feel light-headedness when we have not consumed carbohydrates or water for a long time. Severe dehydration can cause not only diabetes but coma and death as well.

To correct its lack of water, the brain shall solve the situation by calling for sugar, salt and fluid; which by the way have always an essential role in any type of physical process. Since there is less water available, the sugar level rises.

Effect in DNA

The lack of water in the body can also injure DNA. Diabetes can be caused by genetics but sometimes, the real culprit is lack water which triggers it in the first place. When diabetes is mainly caused by dehydration in adults, it can be easily reversed since grown-ups have important nutrients in the body as reserves. However, it can be difficult for children to reverse dehydration that causes diabetes because they are growing and growth makes use of their bodies’ reserves of nutrients.

Water and juices

Enough hydration can help prevent diabetes. In fact, drinking at least two quarts of water spaced out everyday can help the body in its duty to release insulin. Do not let your body or the children take in so much juice. Juice is not natural and can be harmful. High potassium juices such as orange juice can result to too much potassium which can cause chronic dehydration.

Make sure children do not indulge on high potassium juices like orange juice because too much potassium can lead to chronic dehydration.

When you already start drinking water to correct dehydration diabetes, you may not feel its beneficial effects at once as it can take time. Just be patient and continue on. Especially for diabetics, avoid dehydration. It is advised that everyone (even non-diabetics) should drink fluids equivalent to half their body weight, e.g. if you weigh 160 lbs., drink 80 ounces of fluid daily (even if you are not thirsty) to ease out the functions of the kidneys and pancreas. Note that sugar metabolism is a system that depends mainly on fluid and it likely suffers dramatically when the intake of fluid is limited suddenly.