Does water harm digestion?

You may have heard that drinking water while eating or immediately after a meal can harm digestion.  Some people even claim that it weakens stomach acid or causes harmful substances to build up in the body.

However medical experts say there is no strong evidence behind these claims. According to the Mayo Clinic drinking water during or after a meal does not interfere with digestion. In fact water can help the body break down food and absorb nutrients more easily.

Water also helps prevent constipation and is generally a better choice than sugray drinks digestion.

A report by The Washington Post also rejected the idea that drinking water with meals is harmful. Digestion begins in the mouth when food is chewed. It then moves to the stomach where stomach acid breaks it down before it passes into the small intestine.

Most nutrients are absorbed during this process while the remaining waste eventually leaves the body. Water moves through the stomach much faster than food and is usually absorbed within about 20 minutes.

Therefore drinking water does not significantly reduce stomach acid or stop the digestive process.

The body can also produce more stomach acid when needed so normal amounts of water do not prevent food from being digested properly.

Interestingly drinking water before a meal may help people who want to lose weight. Having one to one and a half glasses of water before eating can make you feel full sooner which may help reduce the amount of food you eat.