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Gang of Five
Nov 2001

By Dr. John M Berardi, Ph.D.
First published at www.t-mag.com

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Advice for the Water-Impaired

Q. I have read at various times that drinking water during meals impairs digestion by diluting enzymes and digestive juices. Is this true, or is it a lingering myth from the old days?

A. This is one of those myths that has lingered because to the "non-physiology minded" it sounds pretty good. But then again, if you know nothing about how the gastrointestinal tract really works; relatively any pseudoscientific theory would sound pretty good. Below I've listed some reasons why water intake during meals is completely safe as well as potentially beneficial. I've also discussed why this myth should be categorized along with sightings of Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster.

a) Digestion occurs in an aqueous (watery) environment therefore water is always present during digestion. This normal water content is necessary to dissolve the active enzymes (which are peptides/proteins) and food particles and to allow the efficient movement of these chemicals throughout the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore in the absence of adequate water, the enzymes and the food would hardly interact and in this case, digestion would surely be impaired.

b) When food is ingested in the absence of adequate water and the concentration of the food particles accumulates in the GI tract, water is actually secreted from the body into the GI in order to dilute the foodstuffs. This seems to indicate that the body wants water in the GI during digestion in order to operate more efficiently. Therefore if you don't provide water with your meal, the GI tract will just pull it from the body.

c) Water can freely move throughout the GI tract (i.e. from stomach to intestines) and throughout the GI membranes into the body and therefore any excess water not necessary for normal digestion would probably not interact with the digestive juices anyway.

d) Digestive juices in the stomach are quite acidic. It would take a heck of a lot of water to actually dilute this level of acidity.

e) Many foods have quite a high water content already. In fact, the average individual consumes about 1L or 4 cups of their water each day from foods (average water intake is about 3L or 12 cups per day). So if this "dilution myth" were actually true, any food containing water (oatmeal, soup, fruits and veggies) would be considered bad.

Rather than avoiding water during meals, I actually encourage it since most individuals don't take in enough water each day as it is. If you're a hard training (and sweating) athlete, your water requirements are quite high. You need to drink all the water you can get, whenever you can get it.

First you get the sugar, then you get the power, then you get the women!

Q. I drink a shake during training and immediately afterward that contains a hefty amount of sugar, along with whey protein and maltodextrin. Now that I'm trying to get leaner, I'm wondering if all that sugar is going to thwart my efforts in any way?

A. Although almost every self-styled nutritional guru may tell you otherwise, my belief is that rather than thwarting your efforts, it will actually help you out. Basically, all this talk about a "sugary protein drink" impairing fat loss is theoretical and not basic truth, as most people would have you believe. In fact, when balancing the costs vs. the benefits of workout and post workout drinks, I believe that the consumption of these drinks outweighs any potential negative effects.

There is one caveat. If such a drink does acutely decrease fat burning, it may take a bit longer to diet down. However, as a result of the better muscle preservation the drink will assist with, you will end up with more muscle at the same end body fat %. But let me clarify. This may not be an issue though, as I believe the drink will increase workout intensity thereby increasing calorie burning during and after the bout, increase muscle mass preservation, and increase the anabolic response to exercise. All these factors are clearly necessary in the creation of the ideal, lean body.

I've written a more comprehensive response to this question in an upcoming Appetite for Construction column so stay tuned for a more thorough argument as to why you may need to drink some carbohydrates and protein during and after exercise when trying to get leaner.