THE’could sparkling water make you fat ? Researchers at Palestinian Birzeit University raise the issue by publishing a study against sparkling water and soft drinks. THE’addition of carbon dioxide in bottled water could encourage weight gain by opening the appetite.
This hypothesis was verified during experiments carried out on rats as well as on 20 volunteers. Tests suggest, sometimes on rats and humans, that water and other drinks containing gas trigger an increase in levels of ghrelin, the digestive hormone that stimulates appetite. For researchers, this rise in the hunger hormone would encourage eating more in order to feel truly full.
During the experiments, rats and volunteers who drank soda water in the morning exhibited levels of this hunger hormone six times higher than those who drank plain water.
Scientific proof difficult to establish
Rats who consumed carbonated drinks, with or without sugar, gained much more weight (20% more than the others) than those who drank non-gas drinks. The fat around the liver of sparkling water-loving rodents has increased.
Humans who drank soda water and sparkling drinks showed higher ghrelin levels than volunteers who drank water or sugary drinks without gas.
More work is needed to scientifically prove that carbon dioxide in drinks can increase hunger and be a factor in overweight andobesity. The study was published in the journal Obesity Research and Clinical Practice.
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