Health
Weight loss may be helped by drinking this, study suggests
Water is known to be a great resource for good health — but sparkling water could also offer unique benefits.
A new report published in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention and Health suggests that carbonated water may support weight loss by enhancing glucose uptake and metabolism in red blood cells.
The researchers aimed to analyze the physiological effects of carbonated water, as it has been found to induce satiety (feelings of fullness) and gastric motility (movement of food through the body), both of which could reduce hunger.
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In analyzing a study from 2004, the team found that carbonated water may support weight loss by converting to HCO3 – a byproduct of metabolism – in red blood cells and increasing energy production.
But the effect of this is “so small,” the researchers concluded, that it is “difficult to expect weight loss effects solely from the CO2 in carbonated water.”
Carbonated water that is high in sodium has also been shown to lower blood glucose levels, the report noted. (iStock)
So the researchers noted that sparkling water should not be used on its own as a weight-loss solution — and should instead be “integrated into a broader strategy of healthy living.”
‘Extremely challenging’
Study researcher Dr. Akira Takahashi, head of medicine at Tesseikai Neurosurgical Hospital in Osaka, Japan, conducted the original research 20 years ago.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Takahashi said this new report underscores how carbonated water impacts weight loss by promoting the sensation of fullness, which can reduce food intake and lower overall calorie consumption.
Carbonated water burning calories through CO2 absorption is “insufficient to make a significant difference,” the researcher noted.
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“For instance, during hemodialysis, even with a continuous supply of CO₂ for four hours, only about 9.5g of glucose is consumed,” he said.
“It would be extremely challenging to drink carbonated water continuously for that duration.”
(Hemodialysis is a treatment that filters waste and water from the blood for people whose kidneys are not functioning correctly.)
“Further research is necessary to better understand [sparkling water’s] long-term effects and optimize its role in dietary interventions,” the report said. (iStock)
“Therefore, I believe it is unlikely that carbonated water alone could lead to weight loss,” Takahashi said.
Further research is needed to fully understand the effect of carbonation on weight loss due to fullness, according to the researcher.
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“The sensation of fullness when drinking carbonated beverages is thought to result from their physical properties,” he told Fox News Digital.
“Carbon dioxide released from the bubbles fills the stomach, stimulating stretch receptors. These receptors then signal the brain via the vagus nerve, creating a sensation of fullness.”
“Water in general is great for you, but if interested in losing weight, there is more to it.”
Carbonated water should be incorporated into a “broader strategy” of healthy living, according to experts.
“Water in general is great for you, but if interested in losing weight, there is more to it,” Dr. Kathleen Jordan, chief medical officer and weight management specialist for MediHealth in California, told Fox News Digital. (Jordan was not part of the research.)
Dietary choices and activity levels are more likely to be impactful, the expert said, and medications can be “hugely helpful” for those who struggle to manage their weight.
Experts agree that weight loss involves many different factors beyond drinking one type of water. (iStock)
New York-based certified holistic nutritionist Robin DeCicco agreed that more data is needed on what individuals should pair with soda water for weight management.
“As the study points out, there is no one general way to lose weight across the board,” DeCicco, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.
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Weight loss can occur when people engage in increased physical activity, decrease their caloric intake and eat a healthier selection of foods, which includes minimizing ultraprocessed, fried and sugary foods, the nutritionist said.
Carbonated consequences
While bubbles in carbonated water can create a full feeling, there are also consequences of overindulging, according to DeCicco.
“I can see how drinking carbonated water can make people less hungry because the bubbles do create a feeling of more fullness,” she said.
“With that being said, people may skip a snack if they’re drinking seltzer, thus reducing caloric intake for the day.”
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On the other hand, DeCicco cautioned, carbonated beverages can make individuals feel bloated and gassy, and can aggravate reflux issues.
“Therefore, it’s not a suggestion of mine to recommend bubbly drinks for anyone with chronic bloating, acid reflux, hiatal hernia, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth or other stomach sensitivities.”
The researchers emphasized that carbonated water consumption “should be integrated into a broader strategy of healthy living rather than relied upon as a primary weight-loss tool.” (iStock)
DeCicco highlighted that the new study only refers to seltzer water and does not include sweetened beverages such as sodas or artificially flavored seltzers, which may be “linked to diabetes, heart disease, obesity and increased sugar cravings.”
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She added, “People want an easy ‘1-2-3 fix’ for weight loss — and I know it’s not the popular statement to make, but long-term weight loss doesn’t stem from doing one thing (like drinking seltzer).”
“It is individually based, and requires consistency and a change to habits and behaviors for long-term health.”
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Eating too much salt has long been linked to high blood pressure, but new research suggests it could trick the immune system into prematurely aging the blood vessels.
A preclinical study recently published in the Journal of the American Heart Association has identified a biological chain reaction that links a salty diet to cardiovascular decay.
Scientists at the University of South Alabama observed that mice on a high-salt diet experienced rapid deterioration in their blood vessel function.
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After just four weeks of high sodium intake, the small arteries responsible for regulating blood flow lost their ability to relax, according to a press release.
The team found that the cells lining these vessels had entered a state of cellular senescence, a form of premature cellular aging in which cells stop dividing and release a mix of inflammatory signals that can damage surrounding tissue.
Excess salt has long been linked to high blood pressure, but a new study goes deeper into its effects on the cardiovascular system. (iStock)
The researchers tried to replicate this damage by exposing blood vessel cells directly to salt in a laboratory dish, but the cells showed no harmful effects.
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This suggests that salt isn’t directly causing damage to the vascular lining but that the real culprit may be the body’s own defense mechanism, the researchers noted.
Excess salt may trigger the immune system to release a molecule called interleukin-16 (IL-16), which acts as a messenger that instructs blood vessel cells to grow old before their time, according to the study.
Excess salt may trigger the immune system to release a molecule called interleukin-16, which acts as a messenger that instructs blood vessel cells to grow old before their time, according to the study. (iStock)
Once these cells age, they fail to produce nitric oxide, the essential gas that tells arteries to dilate and stay flexible.
To test whether this process could be reversed, the team turned to a class of experimental drugs known as senolytics.
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Using a cancer medication called navitoclax, which selectively clears out aged and dysfunctional cells, the researchers were able to restore nearly normal blood vessel function in the salt-fed mice, the release stated.
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By removing the decaying cells created by the high-salt diet, the drug allowed the remaining healthy tissue to maintain its elasticity and respond correctly to blood flow demands.
Excess salt may trigger the immune system into stopping the cells from dividing, the study suggests. (iStock)
The study did have some limitations. The transition from mouse models to human treatment remains a significant hurdle, the team cautioned.
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Senolytic drugs like navitoclax are still being studied for safety, and the team emphasized that previous trials have shown mixed results regarding their impact on artery plaque.
Additionally, the researchers have not yet confirmed whether the same IL-16 pathway is the primary driver of vascular aging in humans.
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Eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables was found to have a surprising link to lung cancer among younger non-smokers, early research suggests.
The observational study, led by Jorge Nieva, M.D., of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center at Keck Medicine, was presented this month at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting in San Diego. It has not yet been peer-reviewed.
Researchers looked at dietary, smoking and demographic data for 187 patients who were diagnosed with lung cancer at age 50 or younger.
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They found that among non-smokers, there was a link between healthier-than-average diets – rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains – and the chance of lung cancer development.
Young lung cancer patients ate more servings of dark green vegetables, legumes and whole grains compared to the average U.S. adult, the researchers found.
Eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables was found to have a surprising link to lung cancer among younger non-smokers, early research suggests. (iStock)
The researchers hypothesized that pesticides applied to conventionally grown produce could be a possible factor in the disease association.
“Commercially produced (non-organic) fruits, vegetables and whole grains are more likely to be associated with a higher residue of pesticides than dairy, meat and many processed foods,” according to Nieva. He also noted that agricultural workers exposed to pesticides tend to have higher rates of lung cancer.
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“There is a large subset of lung cancer patients whose disease is not caused by smoking,” Nieva told Fox News Digital.
The disease is becoming more common in non-smokers 50 and younger, especially women – despite the fact that smoking rates have been falling for decades, the researcher noted.
The researchers hypothesized that pesticides applied to conventionally grown produce could be a possible factor in the disease association. (iStock)
“These patients tend to have eaten much healthier diets before their diagnosis than the average American,” he went on. “We need to support research into understanding why Americans – and women in particular – who no longer smoke very much are still having lung cancer,” he said.
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The study did have some limitations, Nieva acknowledged, primarily that it relied on survey data and was limited by the participants’ memories of their food intake.
“Also, the survey participants were self-selected, and this could have biased the findings,” he told Fox News Digital.
“There is a large subset of lung cancer patients whose disease is not caused by smoking.”
The researchers did not test specific foods for pesticides, relying instead on average pesticide levels for certain types of food. Looking ahead, they plan to test patients’ blood and urine samples to directly measure pesticide levels, Nieva said.
Although the study shows only an association and does not prove that pesticides caused lung cancer, Nieva recommends that people wash their produce before eating and choose organic foods whenever possible.
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“This work represents a critical step toward identifying modifiable environmental factors that may contribute to lung cancer in young adults,” said Nieva. “Our hope is that these insights can guide both public health recommendations and future investigation into lung cancer prevention.”
“It is possible that the increased lung cancer risk could be due to pesticide exposure in whole farmed foods, but is by no means certain,” a doctor said. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, said the study is “interesting,” but that it “raises far more questions than it answers.”
“It is a small study (around 150) and observational, so no proof,” the doctor, who was not involved in the research, told Fox News Digital.
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“It is possible that the increased lung cancer risk could be due to pesticide exposure in whole farmed foods, but it is by no means certain,” Siegel went on. “How much exposure is needed? How much of it gets into food and in which areas? This requires much further study.”
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Kayla Nichols, communications director for Pesticide Action & Agroecology Network, a distributed global network, said the organization agrees with the study’s conclusion that more research should be done on the rise in lung cancer, particularly in individuals eating diets higher in produce and fiber.
“There is a large subset of lung cancer patients whose disease is not caused by smoking,” the researcher told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
“There is a bounty of existing research that already links pesticide exposure to increased risk of multiple types of cancers,” Nichols, who was also not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. She called for more research on chronic, low-level exposures to pesticides, as well as more effective policies to protect the public from pesticide residues on food.
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The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute, as well as industry partners including AstraZeneca and Genentech, among others.
Fox News Digital reached out to several pesticide companies and trade groups for comment.
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