Does Drinking Water With Meals Cause Weight Gain?

We know that water is essential for our body and our digestive system. It has many benefits that control your body functions properly. But when it comes to drinking water during meals, we have many assumptions based on many studies.

Many researchers say that you should not drink water during the meal because it will cause you damages. You have to drink water before 30 minutes of meals and after 30 minutes of meals. It will give you some time to digest the food, and it will help in body functions.

Many studies proved that a few water sips during mealtime are delicate, but drinking a lot of water during meals is not suitable for your health. It will damage your body functions; therefore, you have to think about the water quantity you have while eating.

drinking water

Essential facts about water

Water is an essential thing in our life. It will help in many functions of your body. Sometimes it will also ease your digestion process. Water is necessary for our skin. It will put a glow on our face. Water is also great for digestion and many functions. You also have a drink an adequate amount of water in a day. As per the study, they said that you should drink 2 liters of water per day, and if you are living in a hot city whose temperature is more than usual, you should drink at least 3 to 4 liters of water per day. There are many reasons you should not drink water during meals, and the main reason is it will cause weight gain. You have to know all the reasons why you shouldn’t drink water during meals.

Reasons for why shouldn’t drink water during meals

The following are some reasons which will provide you with great information about water during meals and it will also give you the effects after you drink water during meals.

  • Effect on digestion 

The study proves that drinking water during meals gives you adverse effects on the digestive system. As we know that the digestive system is one of the essential systems in our body; therefore, you have to take care of your water intake quantity during meals. Scientifically, when you drink water during the meal, it will reduce your mouth’s amount of alive. When the amount of saliva is concentrated in your mouth because of the water, it will send wrong signals to your stomach, and then your stomach will not produce any gastric juices for digestion.

It will weaken your digestive process because of the absence of gastric juice. When your stomach does not produce any digestive juices for digestion, digestion gets slow, and many food molecules do not get properly digested. This improper digestion will cause harm to your stomach and other diseases.

  • Slow down the absorption of nutrients

When you drink a lot of water during meals, it will cause you many things. The water intake will affect the digestion of the food molecule. Because of the water, all the enzymes and digestive juices in the stomach will get diluted, and it does not work correctly. Because of the dysfunction of the digestive juices, the food will not get digested. The food will remain in the stomach for a longer time, and it will flow through the small intestine at low flow. It will lead to less absorption of the nutrients from the food because of the more water.

Many scientists say that this is just an assumption because it does not provide any proof for this point, but it is proved that dilution reduces the absorption of nutrients. The role of water in the absorption of nutrients is significant.

  • It can cause acidity

The acidity will cause you because of stored food in the stomach because of digestion’s slow process. When consuming a lot of water during the meal, it will dilute all the gastric juices and enzymes present in the stomach for proper digestion. A lot of water will cause you to store extra stored food in the stomach, which will cause you acidity.

If you want to avoid acidity, you should not drink a lot of water during meals. It will cause you heartburn and severe stomach ulcer. Any studies or research does not prove this concept.

  • It may cause weight gain

One of the popular assumptions among us is that drinking water during meals causes you to dilute digestive juices and enzymes. This digestive juice will reduce the process of digestion. When digestion is slowed down, the amount of food in the stomach will not break down because of the absence of gastric juices. The stored food in the gut gets converted into fats, and it will lead to weight gain.

Low gastric juice will cause you with low absorption of nutrients from the food, and the remaining food will convert into fats, which will gain your weight. No study will prove this theory, but it is the assumption of people.

Research on drinking water during meals:-

Research does not prove that drinking water during meals will cause you weight gain, but they researched patients who have GERD. They specify that the GERD patients can’t have liquids with the food because it will lead to intense acidity that will affect their throat region. When they drink water during the meal, it will increase the level of liquid in the stomach, and it will cause you pressure on the belly. The extra food is stored in the stomach because of the slow digestion process, causing you acidity.

When it comes to weight gain, they said that it would increase your calorie level when you drink any beverage with meals. The entire beverage contains sugar, and it will lead to the calorie level. Therefore, the idea of drinking water during the meal is not suitable for your health. In the end, if your calorie rate is high, then you will face the problem of weight gain. Having liquids with meals is not suitable for your health.

Conclusion

There is no specific study or research that states that drinking water during the meal is a bad idea or will lead to weight gain. In the end, it’s up to you that what you want to do. If you are comfortable with drinking water during the meal, you should do that, but you have to try it first and then decide what to do.

If you feel that you are gaining weight because of the liquids with the meal, you should not drink water during meals. If you feel any discomfort with drinking liquids with meals, you have to drink 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after the meal.

It will help you with the proper digestive system. You also have to avoid any other sugary beverage with the meals. It will maintain your body functions well.

Ultimately, the primary and most important reason for weight gain is the improper lifestyle and addictions of the people that lead them to illness from outside and inside. These illnesses can be long-term or short-term but give almost the same impact and results to the people. So, it’s better to drink plenty of water and keep yourself away from excess weight gain.

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