Experts explain the unexpected causes of getting fat 'salt' and 'moisture'
Obesity is often caused by excessive intake of sugar, carbohydrates, fat, and lack of exercise. However, obesity experts have proposed that the surprising cause of the increase in overweight is the ``excessive salt'' and ``lack of water'' hidden in the Western diet.
Two surprising reasons behind the obesity epidemic: Too much salt, not enough water
In more than 20 years of lifestyle research, Richard Johnson, a clinician and professor of medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, says, 'The complex puzzle of obesity and health has two key components. I noticed that there is a piece.' Those pieces are salt and moisture.
◆ Salt content
A clue to the finding that excessive salt intake leads to obesity was found in the ecology of fat gerbils , which live in wetlands and deserts with high salt concentrations in the soil. Fat gerbils have a rather stubby appearance, as their English name translates to 'Fat sand rat', but most of their food consists of the Salicornia plant.
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While Salicornia contains plenty of water with a high salt concentration as it is closer to seawater, it does not have much nutritional value. Although not yet fully proven, fat gerbils may be able to survive on nutrient-poor Salicornia because their high-salt diet facilitates the conversion of carbohydrates into fructose, according to recent studies. I know from research .
According to Johnson, who was involved in the study, fructose stimulates food intake and turns on a 'survival switch' that stores fat and carbohydrates and protects animals from starvation. Therefore, if fat gerbils are fed with 50% carbohydrates, which is the same as ordinary rat food, they will develop obesity and diabetes in a short time.
Regarding the fact that excessive salt intake promotes the synthesis of fructose, which leads to fat accumulation, Johnson said, ``Many Americans unknowingly behave like fat gerbils that have been bred. It's become clear that they're always keeping the 'survival switch' on.'
◆ Moisture
In addition, another study in which Johnson participated also found that fructose is synthesized not only by salt but also by dehydration, which further promotes fat storage.
Fat is well-known for its role as a calorie store, but it also has another lesser-known function. It's water supply. Fat itself does not contain water, but a large amount of water is generated when fat is decomposed in the body.
The amount of water generated in the body from the breakdown of fat is substantial, and about the same amount of water is released as the fat that is burned. For this reason, some animals rely on fat stored in their bodies to hold water during times when water is unavailable.
Whales are an example of this. Whales drink seawater, but most of their water comes from food. And when you can't eat for a long time, you replenish water from metabolized fat. This makes sense in the natural world for animals to store fat in their bodies in the face of dehydration.
It's hard to imagine that dehydration is the cause of obesity, but Johnson emphasizes that 'the impact should not be taken lightly.' This is because eating salty foods can easily lead to dehydration, and the double whammy of excessive salt intake and lack of water synthesizes fructose and fat in the body, which directly leads to obesity.
This is why French fries are often cited as foods that make you fat. In addition, French fries are high in carbohydrates, which also contributes to the synthesis of fructose in the body.
For this reason, Johnson recommends drinking about eight glasses of water a day. However, drinking too much water can lead to water poisoning, so drinking more is not always better. In particular, people with heart, kidney, or liver disease, or those who have recently undergone surgery, are at high risk of developing hyponatremia if they drink too much water, so ask your doctor how much water you should drink. It was better to do so.
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