Water requirement
Water is an essential component of our body; in the adult it represents over 70% of the total mass (in the child it is even higher) and its systemic deficiency can compromise the well-being, health and (in the worst case scenario) the survival of the person. The risk increases significantly in old age, when the body is more prone to dehydration and the brain transmits / perceives only a few signs of "thirst".
It goes without saying that the water must be:
- Drinks in sufficient quantity (about 1 milliliter each calorie introduced with the diet - 1ml / 1kcal - then two liters per day in the case of a 2000 Kcal diet)
- Distributed equally throughout the day.
Water and digestibility of the meal
Digestion is an active process that involves the simplification of nutritional polymers, aimed at allowing it to be absorbed into the intestine.
Digestion is organized in different chemical-physical stages and starts from the mouth, reaches the stomach and ends in the intestine. The mechanical phases are chewing and kneading (oral cavity), mixing (stomach), advancement and segmentation (intestine). The chemical phases determine the secretion of the glands and the various exocrine glandular tissues; occur in the mouth (saliva with salivary amylase), in the stomach (gastric juices with pepsinogen, hydrochloric acid [Hcl-] and pepsin), in the duodenum (in which, through the common bile duct, bile and pancreatic juices are released [numerous enzymes proteus -, lipo- and glycolytic]) and on the mucosa of the small intestine (enterocyte brush border enzymes).
What is often overlooked is that digestion, to take place optimally, requires the secretion / dilution of enzymes to a PROPORTIONAL extent to the "consistency" of the meal. In short:
- Saliva, gastric, biliary and pancreatic juices, to be produced and secreted, require WATER.
- The less water is present in the food bolus / chyme, the more the organism is obliged to secrete it "from its own pocket".
It follows that, in an excessively "dry" meal, the water required to give the right amount of moisture to the bolus / chyme (and promote its digestibility) is greater than that required by a well-hydrated meal. On the other hand, even excessive dilution of the meal could compromise digestion due to the excessive dispersion of gastric juices and enzymes.
NB . The absorption / reabsorption of water occurs mainly between the stomach and the duodenum MA ends definitively in the large intestine through fecal dehydration (recovery of the secreted water with digestive juices).
Promote digestion
Generally speaking, digestion takes place optimally by consuming one or two glasses of water (depending on the capacity) during the meal. This parameter varies considerably depending on the presence or absence of "soup" foods (which in themselves contribute to dilute the food bolus), of fresh and well-hydrated foods (vegetables and fruit) and of the quantity of dry or dehydrated foods (breadsticks, crackers, french fries in a bag, popcorn, salted meats, dried fruit etc.).
In addition to the excessive quantity, protein content, level of cooking of the meal and any individual "deficiencies" (or pathologies) many other chemical and physical factors contribute to determining the lack of efficacy and time dilation useful for digestion; among these: cooking salt concentration (NaCl), food pH, chewing, food temperature etc.
On the other hand, there are many "stratagems" to be used occasionally to favor the digestion of an excessive or heavy meal; the choice of one or the other depends above all on the food introduced and on the physiological condition of the subject. In the event that the problem consists in the reduced ability to secrete hydrochloric acid, following a sensibly proteinic meal, it may be advisable:
- Take hot water (35-38 ° C) with the addition of juice, or rather lemon peel
- Assume an alcoholic unit, if habitually consumed
- Take cola-type drinks
- Hiring coffee drinks, if usually consumed
- Chewing gum
NB . Under similar conditions, the presence of table salt and spices in the meal may be conducive to HCl secretion.
On the other hand, if the meal is excessively proteic and if consequently (the majority of cases), an overproduction of hydrochloric acid occurs, the bolus / food chyme (after protein denaturation) to enter the duodenum requires a "conversion" of the pH from acid to basic by bicarbonate secretion. In that case, it would be useful after the meal:
- Take water at room temperature with bicarbonate, citrate (citrosodina) or magnesium hydroxide (magnesia)
- Avoid the 5 points mentioned above.
Is there water that favors digestion?
According to what has been said so far, water is an essential element of the meal, useful (and sometimes fundamental) to the success of digestion; but if it is introduced in excess, it can determine the excessive dilution of the digestive juices prolonging the digestion times.
By now, everyone knows that the waters are not all the same; they differ above all in the content and origin of the salts contained in them. If they come from spontaneous sources they are called minerals and their purity is NOT obtained with chemical-physical purifications; otherwise, like that of tap, (although it also contains salts), being manipulated by man, it cannot be called "mineral".
Some waters have characteristics potentially useful for digestion; the dissolved parts (in this case "active ingredients") useful for this purpose are:
- Bicarbonates (HCO 3 )
- Sulphates (SO 4 )
Bicarbonates, as anticipated, participate in the reduction of gastric pH by counteracting "acidity" and determining the reduction of time spent in the stomach. The use of water with bicarbonates is indicated for all those who tend to suffer from gastric acidity and / or who consume very abundant and protein meals.
NB . The presence of bicarbonates in water DOES NOT justify neglect or excesses in the management of meals; abuse of salty, spicy, alcoholic, coffee, acidic and caffeinated beverages, etc. it cannot be resisted by water containing bicarbonates.
Sulphates instead, perform a pro-digestive action thanks to their ability to stimulate the enzymatic synthesis in the liver and pancreatic level; in this way, the composition of the digestive juices (if slightly deficient) can be compensated by favoring digestion.
In conclusion, the most suitable "mineral" waters to counter gastric hyperacidity and promote digestion are those rich in bicarbonates and sulphates; however, to be clear, it should be taken into consideration that the amount of dissolved salts (although representing a desirable characteristic) by itself is not sufficient to annul the undesired effects of an excessively abundant meal.