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Carbonated drinks increase hunger?

2

Replies

  • jesspen91
    jesspen91 Posts: 1,383 Member
    Just checking back on this thread. It's interesting that so many people's experiences go against the findings of this study. Their theory is that carbonated drinks expand the stomach and the body then gives signals that there is empty space to fill.

    Personally I can't speak for the effects either way as I rarely drink carbonated drinks. Like @MarylandRose I only really drink fizzy drinks when I'm out for a meal so its usually alongside food. Similarly with sparkling water which I only seem to drink at things like work conferences where there is also buffet food. I wouldn't ever drink fizzy drinks on an empty stomach because I once had a can of coke after not eating for 12 hours and I had horrible cramps. I don't know if it was the carbonation or (more likely) the acid but it put me right off fizzy drinks without a nice food cushion.
  • The_Enginerd
    The_Enginerd Posts: 3,982 Member
    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    I wonder if the idea of carbonated drinks being a trigger or people having certain associations with carbonated drinks could be a factor. I drank diet root beer for a long time as a crutch the help stave off eating/cravings... until I started associating it with eating/binging, in which case it only made things worse.

    Obviously that's more related to my own issues than it is an endorsement/condemnation of the drink, but I put it out there to do with as you will.
    For me, a savory snack like chips is quite enjoyable with a soda and I pretty often have a small one with my diet soda. That's not an unusual thing in our culture. I imagine there is quite a bit of association and "hedonic hunger" that drives the hunger hormones.

    If I choose not to eat something with it, I feel quite satiated, more so than I was before the drink.
  • clicketykeys
    clicketykeys Posts: 6,568 Member
    jesspen91 wrote: »
    I was watching Trust Me I'm a Doctor on BBC 2 and they did a mini experiment based on this study.

    http://www.obesityresearchclinicalpractice.com/article/S1871-403X(17)30006-6/fulltext

    They found that volunteers who drank carbonated drinks had higher levels of ghrelin (hunger hormone) immediately afterwards and ate more calories (reported in a food diary) this was the case even with non sugary fizzy drinks like sparkling water.

    Obviously this was for a TV show so should be taken with a grain of salt but it backs up the linked paper which was published in a peer-reviewed journal.

    I'd never heard of this before but found it fascinating. I think it might explain some of the culture of fast food places (unlimited refills, meal deals) and their push of fizzy drinks.

    It's interesting that the responses don't address the points you say the study made: higher levels of ghrelin, and they ate more. The responses here are more about perception. Did the study ask participants to record hunger perceptions?

    I'm not willing to give up my fizzy treats, but is it possible that even if I don't notice feeling hungrier, I end up eating more without really thinking about it?
  • ROBOTFOOD
    ROBOTFOOD Posts: 5,527 Member
    Not for me with soda. The opposite.
  • JoshGouvisis
    JoshGouvisis Posts: 98 Member
    Everyone is affected differently by many types of food/drinks. This one is definitely not me.
  • BackToBikini
    BackToBikini Posts: 10 Member
    Not me at all. In fact if I drink Seltzer along with my dinner 9/10 I won't be able to finish.
  • sportychic87
    sportychic87 Posts: 214 Member
    edited January 2018
    I love sparkling water and have reduced soda consumption since drinking sparkling so there’s got to be some good there. It’s probably not good for teeth enamel but oh well . It doesn’t affect hunger at all for me, if anything it reduces it because I’m getting plenty of water
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    Interesting and curious.
    Opposite for me, fizzy drinks fill me up far more than flat drinks and I would have assumed the feeling of being full would reduce hunger not increase it.

    So maybe we aren't a slave to our "horrible hormones"? :)
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    Interesting and curious.
    Opposite for me, fizzy drinks fill me up far more than flat drinks and I would have assumed the feeling of being full would reduce hunger not increase it.

    So maybe we aren't a slave to our "horrible hormones"? :)

    See, this to me was a more important takeaway. This causes me to question the theory that controlling ghrelin and the other hunger/satiety hormones is the key to weight loss, far more than it causes me to question diet soda.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,345 Member
    I don't drink sparkling anything very often but when I do it'll be a slimline tonic, then it does make me feel empty - I am thinking its the gas from the bubbles that make my tummy feel that way...
  • zcb94
    zcb94 Posts: 3,679 Member
    I’m in the “I get fuller, not hungry” camp. To me, the carbonation satisfies my palate, along with the flavor (even if it’s just water), and the gas offers a (very mild) bloating effect that tends to last.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    This hasn't been my experience. I use diet soda specifically when I'm still hungry after a meal because they help me feel full.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,483 Member
    L1zardQueen wrote: »
    I like the carbonated hop drink. I drink one and I’m full.

    I like the low cal option of them there hop drinks in the summer- I drink way too many of them and fall into the garden beds.

    Cheers, h.
  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,754 Member
    edited May 2018
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    L1zardQueen wrote: »
    I like the carbonated hop drink. I drink one and I’m full.

    I like the low cal option of them there hop drinks in the summer- I drink way too many of them and fall into the garden beds.

    Cheers, h.

    Yes! I need to be super careful around my cactus garden, they hurt like a SOB when falling into them. I’m a lightweight too!
  • mysticmurker
    mysticmurker Posts: 4 Member
    Even if it does make you hungrier, I'm able to stay within my deficit even when I have sugar free fizzy drinks - so depends on the person I guess
  • Wynterbourne
    Wynterbourne Posts: 2,200 Member
    edited May 2018
    Amarolda1122 wrote: »
    Diet drinks and anything with aspartame in it has been proved to increase cravings for sugar so it basically does the opposite and is no bueno for your body

    Ummm, not by a reputable scientific study it hasn't. I don't get my info from blogs and YouTube videos.

    I drink almost exclusively diet soda and I almost never eat nor crave sugary foods.

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