Is drinking water before a meal bad for digestion?

How many times have you been asked or told this while discussing the usual health tips amongst your friends, family or colleagues. I know so many people personally who defend this theory like they know the inside of a human gastrointestinal tract better than itself. The reason behind this theory is that 200 ml of water dilutes 1 liter gastric juices and acidity therefore it doesn't help normal digestion infact it dilutes or causes harm. Let us find out today if this theory has relevance or it is yet another theory amongst many such cases that we've been discussing.

pH of Stomach - Just off the mind let me remind you that the acidity counted in pH is between 0 to 7 and anything above or equal to 7 is considered alkaline or simply not acidic at all. Water has a neutral pH of 7 and blood has a pH of 7.3. The pH of our gastric juices is 2 which is extremely acidic on a scale of acidity. So lets understand what really happens either before we ingest a single morsel of food and while eating our meal. Gastric juices is comprised of Hydrochloric acid (HCl), pepsinogen and mucus which is secreted once the hormone gastrin is secreted by the presence of food or protein in food. The acid does not physically digest the food it only provides the pH for the enzyme pepsin to denature or breakdown the protein chain. Now almost a liter of pH 2 HCl needs a sufficient quantity of water to neutralise or increase the pH.

How much harm can a glass of water do? - Honestly depends how big is your 1 glass. If it is 200 ml standard glass and you consume it over the whole meal with some sips not gulps, then it doesn't affect at all since the pH change from 2 to 3 needs a good amount of a neutral or alkaline substance. Of course food and its pH matters too and nobody ever considers that while spreading a myth however point is you can have a glass over the entire length of the meal and not concentrated at a given point alone. Besides we eat our meal for enjoying it not to drown our appetite with water, now do we? Hosing down your stomach with a glass of water entirely just before eating could of course spoil your appetite and also mildly increase the pH.

Moral of the story - You may drink water while having your meal. Since it can't do much harm with a little over 1.5 pint of gastric juice every meal. However do not load water more than a glass while eating but can do so after ingesting the whole meal. Infact some amount of water will help bulk the fiber content in the intestine and provide better motility.

For further information visit Wellness & I and get your personalized lifestyle plan. 

Wish you wellness.

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