True story: back in the day, pro cyclists trying to drop weight used to punch out their morning ride, then drink a one-litre bottle of soda water, take two sleeping pills – and hope they weren’t hungry when they woke up.
New research, however, suggests that downing soda water may have been the worst possible beverage to quell hunger pains.
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A study published in the Obesity Research and Clinical Practice journal found that rats that drank carbonated drinks (like soda water) ate, on average, 20 per cent more than rats that consumed flat drinks (like tap water).
Subsequent tests on 20 healthy university students – all men aged 18-23 – found that the levels of ghrelin (a hormone that sharpens hunger) in those who drank soda water at breakfast were up to six times higher than that of those who only drank still water.
Despite the small sample size, the study authors said the result “implicates carbon dioxide gas in soft drinks as playing a major role in inducing weight gain and the onset of obesity via ghrelin release and stimulation of the hunger response in male mammals.”
Your move: stick to tap water.
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