Does Drinking Water Lower Blood Sugar? How It Reverses Diabetes

Does drinking water lower blood sugar and help reverse type 2 diabetes? There’s exciting new evidence that the answer is yes. During a recent study, overweight and obese type 2 diabetic women in a six-month weight-loss program were either allowed to continue drinking a daily diet soda or asked to trade their usual diet soda for water.

The results: a full 90 percent of the water-only group achieved diabetes remission compared to just 45 percent of the diet-soda group. Those who drank plenty of water also racked up greater improvements in fasting glucose, insulin levels, insulin resistance and more. And the water-only group also lost significantly more weight, taking off an average of 15 pounds in six months versus 10 pounds for the diet-soda group.

“With most women in the water group achieving diabetes remission, our study highlights the importance of promoting water, not just low-calorie alternatives, as part of effective diabetes and weight management,” according to study lead Hamid Farshchi, MD, PhD, formerly of University of Nottingham and now CEO of D2Type Health.

In June, Dr. Farshchi presented his team’s findings at the 85th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association, the world’s largest conference focused on diabetes treatment and prevention. He adds that switching to water to improve your blood sugar “is a small change with the potential for a big impact on long-term health outcomes.”

Artificial sweeteners can raise your blood sugar

The CDC says over 51 million Americans regularly drink diet soda, and many of us choose the drinks because scientists have repeatedly warned us that sugar-sweetened drinks spike blood glucose and increase the risk of developing diabetes, weight gain and countless other health conditions. So why are zero-cal sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose—which are proven to have no immediate impact on sugar levels—increasingly linked to weight gain, blood sugar issues and diabetes just like regular sugar?

There are approximately 100 trillion potential reasons. That’s the number of bacteria living inside each of our guts at any given moment—and these bacteria wield huge power over our health, explains New York obesity specialist Tro Kalayjian, DO, (a.k.a. Dr. Tro), host of the Low Carb MD podcast.

How zero-calorie sweeteners impact your gut health

Among the bacteria currently in your gut, there are good guys that aid in managing your blood sugar levels. There are also bad guys that have a negative impact on functions like controlling your blood sugar. And what we eat and drink essentially “feeds” different strains of bacteria and helps determine if the good guys outnumber the bad. “Artificial sweeteners do seem to alter the microbiome in ways that may be harmful,” says Dr. Tro.

He’s backed by a July 2023 study in the journalDiabetes Care that found regular consumption of artificial sweeteners from diet soda (or any source) may alter gut bacteria in a way that disrupts blood sugar regulation, increases hunger and interferes with body fat metabolism. All these factors set us up for weight gain and developing type 2 diabetes.

Adds Dr. Tro: “Artificial sweeteners also likely harm metabolic health in part because they induce insulin secretion even though they contain no calories.” Insulin is a hormone that helps us manage blood sugar. A lifetime of poor dietary choices can damage cells and make them resist insulin, putting us on the path to chronically high blood sugar, rapid fat storage and diabetes. “That insulin spike from artificial sweeteners may play a dominant role in driving insulin resistance.”

How drinking water lowers your blood sugar

Trading diet soda for plain water does more than just help you stay hydrated: It aids in keeping your blood sugar levels in a healthy range. (Learn more about normal blood sugar by age here.) How? Drinking plenty of water helps your kidneys flush out excess sugar in your blood that can cause your glucose levels to rise over time.

Don’t want plain water? Try these blood sugar-friendly options

Zero-sweetener sparkling waters like La Croix and Bubly give you the familiar fizz of soda, and they also happen to come in a lot of fun flavors like mojito, guava Sao Paulo and sparkling melted ice pop. Dr. Tro says they’re a great alternative to artificially sweetened drinks that can help you maintain healthy blood sugar levels.

Then there’s iced tea. Both traditional and herbal varieties contain antioxidants that might help you prevent diabetes. Any unsweetened version is fine, so is a twist of lemon. And don’t sleep on herbal options that are delicious and refreshing, like Celestial Seasonings’ black cherry berry. Walmart’s Great Value brand even offers an affordable strawberry hibiscus option.

When diet soda is okay

It’s worth noting that diet soda does appear to be a better choice than regular soda. One study found artificially-sweetened beverages increase risk of type 2 diabetes by 12 percent per serving per day, while separate research suggests each daily serving of sugar-sweetened beverages raise type 2 diabetes risk by 25 percent apiece. Drinking diet soda occasionally is unlikely to have much impact on your health, says Dr. Tro. Learn more about his practice at Toward.health.

“If you’re someone who struggles with sweet cravings, starting out with non-nutritive sweeteners can be a good step,” he adds. “Diabetes is, at its core, a condition of impaired sugar tolerance, and sweeteners can help people transition. But the more we learn, the clearer it becomes that these compounds aren’t truly ‘free.’ They may impair insulin sensitivity, disrupt the microbiome and slow fat loss. They’re better thought of as short-term bridges, not long-term solutions.” But water—plain or dressed up—is still your best option for lowering your blood sugar.

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This story was originally published July 6, 2025 at 8:00 AM.