Amazing - turns out there are actually probably weight loss benefits from simply drinking sparkling water! It's likely marginal - but still . . . via Medical News Today.
- Experts are interested in finding simple interventions that contribute to weight loss.
- One recent report highlights that drinking carbonated or sparkling water may contribute to weight loss by increasing red blood cell uptake and glucose metabolism.
- The physiological process is similar to what occurs in hemodialysis — the filtering of the body’s blood.
- Consuming sparkling water to help with weight loss should be examined alongside other factors, such as the risk of consumption and other strategies for weight loss.
Carbonated water or sparkling water is water that contains carbon dioxide (CO2). It’s more commonly called sparkling water, and experts are interested in potential health benefits and drawbacks. One area of interest is how drinking sparkling water may assist with weight loss.
A report published in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health discussed how drinking sparkling water may contribute to weight loss. It suggests that the CO2 in the water leads to increased glucose breakdown and increased glucose uptake by red blood cells. This may contribute to weight loss.
However, the report notes that the effects are so minimal that carbonated water is unlikely to have a significant impact on weight loss on its own. More research is required in this area.
How sparkling water aids weight loss
The report begins by noting a few ways that drinking sparkling water may help with weight loss. For example, drinking sparkling water may lead to increased feelings of fullness. The report notes that it may also lower blood sugar levels but that the mechanisms are not entirely clear. The relationship between blood sugar and drinking carbonated water is the main focus of the report.After sparkling water is consumed, CO2 goes through the stomach capillaries into the bloodstream. From here, the red blood cells use an enzyme called carbonic anhydrase to convert the CO2 into bicarbonate (HCO3-).
Next, the interior of the red blood cells ultimately becomes alkaline or less acidic. This leads to an increase in the breakdown of glucose by the red blood cells to produce energy, a process called glycolysis
This is believed to promote glycolysis and increase the red blood cells’ glucose uptake from the plasma.
Report author Akira Takahashi with the Dialysis Center at Tesseikai Neurosurgery Hospital in Shijonawate, Japan, highlighted the main points of the report this way:
“When carbonated water is consumed, CO₂ is absorbed into the blood vessels in the stomach. This CO₂ rapidly penetrates the lipid membranes of red blood cells and is converted into bicarbonate ions by carbonic anhydrase, increasing the alkalinity of the red blood cells. This alkalinity promotes glycolysis, which consumes glucose in red blood cells and lowers blood glucose levels.”
Thus, sparkling water could indirectly help weight loss through its effect on blood glucose.
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