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Carbonic acid apparently a fattening soda water while losing weight counterproductive
Water is vital. Experts recommend drinking at least 1.5 liters of liquid daily - preferably water. Whether it contains carbon dioxide, does not matter, they say. However, a study has now shown that water with soda stimulates the appetite and can therefore contribute to the overweight.
Ensure adequate fluid intake
"Water is vital. Drink around 1.5 liters of fluid every day. Do you prefer water - with or without carbon dioxide, "writes the German Society for Nutrition (DGE) in its 10 rules on nutrition. According to a new study, but you should drink better water without soda, because carbonic acid may favor obesity.
According to a new study, carbonated water stimulates the appetite and may consequently promote obesity. This is due to the hormone ghrelin. (Image: GianlucaCiroTancredi / fotolia.com) Connection between carbon dioxide and weight gain
Mineral water is one of the favorite drinks of the Germans. It should tingle but not too strong: "Most Germans buy mineral water with medium carbonation - also called medium," said the Stiftung Warentest on its website.
Carbonated drinks are also very popular in other European countries. That could be one of the reasons why Europeans are getting fatter, among many others.
For in a new Palestinian study, a clear connection between carbon dioxide and weight gain was now found.
The results of the study by researchers from Birzeit University in Ramallah were recently published in the journal "Obesity Research and Clinical Practice Journal".
Appetizing hormone ghrelin
To arrive at their results, the researchers around Professor Johnny Stiban had divided rats into two groups that were kept in the same conditions but were given different drinks - carbonated or non-carbonated.
It turned out that the rodents who consumed carbonated drinks increased more rapidly during the one-year study period than the animals in the control group.
The scientists also provide an explanation for this. As stated in a statement from the university, the rats that were supplied with sodas had elevated levels of the hormone ghrelin in the body.
This also ensures that in humans, he gets more appetite. For example, ghrelin is also responsible for why regular exercise is helpful in losing weight. Because in sports, the appetite-stimulating hormone is reduced.
The experts also found that in the animals, the fat levels of the liver were significantly increased.
Tap water instead of carbonated drinks
After the rat experiment, 20 male students were tested for their ghrelin levels after taking different drinks, demonstrating the results of the study.
The levels of appetite-stimulating hormone were also elevated among human study participants.
"The results of the study show that carbon dioxide in soft drinks plays an important role in the weight gain and onset of obesity in male mammals because of ghrelin release and the associated appetite stimulation," the researchers said.
That soft drinks are often the cause of obesity, but is much more due to the enormous amounts of sugar contained therein.
Italian study showed a similar effect
However, the results of the Palestinian investigation are not entirely new. As reported by the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" (FAZ), a study by Italian scientists already showed a similar effect in 2011.
René Csuk, Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Halle-Wittenberg, said, "The events are much more complex than suggested by these studies."
According to the expert, "it is known that ghrelin levels have increased when carbonated water has been used, and it is also certain that the subjects who drank the water with carbonated it then consumed more food."
However, it is too short to conclude that you stay thin if you do without sparkling water. After all, ghrelin is just one of many hormones involved in appetite regulation.
As the FAZ writes, Ghrelin not only makes us hungry, but also happier and also has a long-term effect that should not be underestimated.
Other relevant hormones such as leptin, glucagon, serotonin or cholecystoconin have not been tested.
In addition, only minor effects were observed in both the Palestinian and Italian studies and the number of subjects was very low at twenty and ten, respectively. (Ad)