A study by Drs. Fetissov & Meguid published recently in the medical journal, Nutrition-X, suggests that a glass of water before meals can keep you slender. When we are hungry, we forget that we need to provide water in addition to food. Our study shows that fat rats gobble larger meals and eat more often when they are dehydrated.
The brain can accurately measure how much water is needed for each meal. Chronic water deficiency, or meal-induced dehydration lead to the accumulation of fat tissue causing overweight and obesity. In the absence of water, the body draws on its internal reserve from fat tissue. [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665902620300066] Drinking water before a meal prevents dehydration of fat tissue and consequently the accumulation of fat tissue expansion. It also explains why low water intake is often present in obesity. While drinking water can help to become slimmer, it will not reduce the feeling of hunger.
Our body is made of about 65% water (internal body water). When food is consumed, the body must dilute it to the same physiological concentrations as internal body water (osmolality). The dryer the food, the more body water must shift from the blood stream, our muscles and even our fat. Yes. Fat tissue is not anhydrous as is commonly claimed but has internal water.
Think of the camel’s hump which is mainly fat. It serves as a reservoir of water. When it is metabolized to release energy, the carbon and hydrogen atoms combine with oxygen to form CO2 and water. When a gram of fat is metabolized, it releases just over a gram of water.
This allows the camel to travel in the hot desert without drinking water for up to two long weeks surviving off its internal water, derived mainly from its fat tissue in the hump.
Drinking water before a meal prevents dehydration of fat tissue and consequently the accumulation of fat tissue expansion. It also explains why low water intake is often present in obesity. While drinking water can help to become slimmer, it will not reduce the feeling of hunger. Drinking plenty of water every day is part of most weight reduction programs. These studies underpin the rationale for such recommendations.
A further study by Dr Fetissov’s team and their colleagues in France shows that the lactic bacteria Hafnia alvei, used for making soft cheeses like camembert, decrease food intake and body weight in obese animals [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41366-019-0515-9] suggesting that Hafnia alvei in the gut microbiome and ingested in probiotics also play a role in maintaining body mass index.