Drinking Water During Meals May Make You Eat More, Study Finds

Have you ever been advised to consume more water while eating to make yourself feel fuller faster and eat less? A recent study conducted at the Cornell University and Penn State University might just change your mind about this common belief about dieting. The study revealed that drinking water while eating can actually stimulate eating rather than reduce it.

What the Study Actually Looked At

The results, which were published in the journal Appetite, were drawn from two studies conducted on a total of 86 adults. The participants consumed either beef chili or chicken tikka masala with water, being able to consume as much as they wished to. Their meal consumption was videotaped to allow for accurate observation of when and how they consumed water.

Instead of just asking how much water participants consumed, the research went further to examine how many sips were taken by individuals, the size of the sip, their speed of consumption, and their alternation between bites and water sips.

More Water, More Food

The findings were quite consistent. Those participants who consumed more water during the consumption of the meal tended to eat more food in total. More specifically, one could observe that every increase in 100 grams of water was associated with an additional consumption of 39 grams of food, which is equal to 49 calories in total.

However, there was not only the amount of water that was consumed during the meal that played a vital role. Another important factor was how many times people changed the pace from eating to drinking. One could observe that every additional change of such a pace resulted in eating 4.4 grams of food additionally.

So Why Does This Happen?

This is where the study challenges conventional wisdom. The researchers think the solution to be found in something known as sensory-specific satiety, the biological phenomenon where food becomes less attractive the longer it is eaten, usually sending signals to the brain that one should stop eating.

Drinking water frequently appears to disrupt that mechanism. The lead author of the study, Dr. Paige Cunningham, assistant professor of nutritional sciences at Cornell University, pointed out that drinking water frequently could in a sense "reset" the taste buds, so that food will continue to taste good and not become dull.

"Repeated sips of water may restore flavor perception, allowing people to continue to enjoy their food and eat for a longer period," Cunningham said.

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What About the "Water Fills Your Stomach" Idea?

Many individuals believe that drinking water while eating increases the volume of food in the stomach and allows one to get a sense of fullness quicker. However, this study goes against such assumptions. The scientists point out that water quickly exits the stomach, which means that it does not stay long enough to induce a feeling of satiety.

In reality, water helps the food pass down to the stomach more smoothly, prevents dryness in the mouth, and helps speed up the process of consumption. Moreover, surprisingly enough, the act of eating more quickly and more comfortably may very well mean that the person eats more.

A Few Things to Keep in Mind

Prior to anyone concluding that one should avoid drinking water during meals, it is important to acknowledge that the researchers themselves were aware of the limitations of their work. They had a fairly small sample size, and their test meals, namely the beef chili and chicken tikka masala, were very specific, which makes it difficult for their findings to be generalized.

The researchers admitted that there needs to be further research done on a larger scale with more diverse meals.