When you are looking to manage blood sugar levels, what you drink is as important as what you eat. No single drink will lower your blood sugar by itself.

There is a wide range of blood sugar responses to different drinks. Some cause quick spikes, while others produce slower, more moderate effects.

For example, a regular soda contains large amounts of sugar and can cause rapid blood sugar peaks in some people. 

Those peaks may be followed by drops in blood sugar. Milk, by contrast, tends to produce slower, steadier increases in blood sugar. And some drinks, like water, do not affect blood sugar at all.

Managing blood sugar is important whether or not you have diabetes. Some research shows that large dips in blood sugar can increase hunger and lead to greater food intake later in the day.

If blood sugar levels are high for an extended period, that may raise your risk of cardiovascular disease.

Here are four drinks that could help manage blood sugar levels:

1. Water

Water keeps you hydrated without adding calories or sugar. Because water doesn’t contain sugar, it won’t raise the amount of sugar in your blood.

It’s a great replacement for sugary drinks.

Some people find sparkling water more appealing than still water. If you want added flavour with little sugar, try cucumber and mint, ginger and lemon, or watermelon and basil.

Drinking enough water is particularly important if you have prediabetes or diabetes, because dehydration can raise blood sugar.

2. Green tea

Green tea has many health benefits and research suggests it may have favourable effects on blood sugar.

For example, a 2019 meta-analysis of 27 studies found that short- and long-term green tea consumption lowered fasting blood sugar levels, though it did not affect post-meal levels.

Caffeinated and decaf black tea, meanwhile, showed no effect in that analysis. A 2020 meta-analysis reported similar findings.

The studies’ durations ranged from three to 72 weeks, suggesting regular consumption is needed to see benefits. Green tea may lower fasting blood sugar because it contains a polyphenol called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG).

3. Cow’s milk

There is evidence that proteins in cow’s milk may help reduce post-meal blood sugar responses in people with and without diabetes.

The fat and protein in milk slow gastric emptying, leading to a slower rise in blood sugar after a meal.

Putting blood sugar aside, cow’s milk also provides nutrients such as protein, calcium, and potassium, making it a nutritious option when you are thirsty.

Kefir, a fermented milk, may also help: a 2021 analysis of six studies found kefir could reduce fasting blood sugar levels.

4. Coffee

Evidence about coffee’s effect on blood sugar is mixed.

A 2019 meta-analysis of six studies found that coffee extract supplements were linked to lower fasting blood sugar, and a 2020 meta-analysis of 10 studies reported similar results.

Compounds in coffee — polyphenols, caffeine, and magnesium — might explain these effects.