Nature's fat gerbils (Psammomys obesus) provide us with more clues about the causes of obesity. The fat gerbil is a half-pound rodent with a sharp and high-pitched voice. He lives in the saltwater swamps and deserts of North Africa, and lives (barely) by eating the stems of glass grass (Salicornia). Glass grass is a plant that looks a bit like asparagus. The thick and fleshy juice of glass grass, although low in nutrients, is filled with salt-rich water, and its concentration is as high as that of salt in seawater. In recent years, research has provided new ideas on why fat gerbils like the salty juice of glass grass. Although there is no concrete evidence in the gerbil itself, studies suggest that a high-salt diet may help gerbil convert the relatively small amount of carbohydrate it consumes into fructose , a sugar that naturally exists in fruits, honey and some vegetables. This helps the animals survive with little food and fresh water. Fructose can stimulate the "survival switch" on animals, stimulate their foraging, ingesting food, and storing fat and carbohydrates, protecting animals from starvation. However, when gerbils are brought into captivity and given a diet that is common in rodents with about 50% carbohydrate, it quickly develops obesity and diabetes . But if you give it fresh vegetables lacking starchy carbohydrates, the gerbil will maintain its shape.
For fat gerbils and our distant ancestors who often need to forage, a high-salt and low-water diet is reasonable. But for humans, such a diet may lead to obesity. (Image source: Unsplash/Savoy Diks)
My personal research and many other scientists over the years have shown that many Americans act unknowingly like fat gerbils in captivity, but few people really live in environments with limited food and water. This shows that they are constantly activating their survival switch.
Fructose in our diet
As mentioned earlier, fructose, this monosaccharide obviously plays a key role in activating the survival switch that causes fat production. A small amount of fructose, such as the fructose in individual fruits, is not a problem. Excessive fructose can have an impact on human health. The fructose most of us consume comes from granulated sugar and high fructose corn syrup. In the American diet, the intake of these two sugars accounts for about 15% of the total calories on average. These sugars in turn encourage people to eat more, which can lead to weight gain, fat accumulation and prediabetes. In fact, our bodies also make fructose, and experimental studies have shown that the fructose they make may be enough to cause obesity.
fructose This monosaccharide obviously plays a key role in activating the survival switch that causes fat production. (Image source: Unsplash/Alexander Grey)
Since fructose is made from glucose , the amount of fructose production will increase when the blood sugar level is high. When we eat a lot of rice, cereals, potatoes and white bread , the body makes fructose. These foods are carbohydrates that can quickly release glucose into the bloodstream. It is worth noting that fructose production will also be stimulated by dehydration, and dehydration will also promote the production of fat.
fat can actually provide us with moisture
fat has two main functions. The first is the well-known calorie storage function that allows the body to use fat when there is no food in the future. Another equally important but little-known function of fat is to provide moisture. Although fat itself does not contain water, when fat decomposes, a large amount of water will be produced in the human body, roughly equivalent to the amount of fat burned. This process is very important, and some animals rely entirely on fat to obtain moisture when they are not water. For example, although whale drinks some sea water, most of the water intake comes from food. When whales have no food for a long time, they mainly obtain water by metabolizing fat.
Put down the fries in your hand
We should not underestimate the role of dehydration as a cause of obesity. Usually we will enter a dehydration state after eating high-salt foods, and dehydration and high-salt will lead to the production of fructose and fat. This is why salty fries are especially prone to fat. Salt can cause the body to have a dehydration-like state, prompting the starch in the fries to be converted into fructose. More importantly, studies have shown that most overweight or obese people do not drink enough water, these people are far more likely to dehydrate than thinners, and their usual salt intake is also very high in comparison. Studies have also found that obese people often have high levels of vasopressin , a hormone that helps the kidneys retain moisture to regulate urine volume. Recently published research believes that vasopressin has another function, which is to stimulate the production of fat. For those at risk of dehydration or hunger, vasopressin can really help people survive. But for those without risk, vasopressin drives most of the metabolic effects caused by excessive fructose, such as weight gain, fat accumulation, fatty liver and prediabetes.
Drinking more water is always beneficial
So, does this mean that drinking more water can help us lose weight? The medical community often sneered at this statement. However, our team found that giving mice more water slowed weight gain and the development of prediabetes, even if the mice were rich in sugar and fat in their diet. There is also growing evidence that most people drink too little water overall, and increasing their water intake may help obese people lose weight. That's why I encourage everyone to drink eight large glasses of water every day, and eight cups may be enough, don't think that the more the better. There were some people who used to drink too much water that had " water poisoning ". This problem is especially true for people with heart, kidney or liver disease, as well as those who have recently undergone surgery or long-distance runners. It is best to consult your doctor about the best water intake first. For the fat gerbils in the desert and our ancestors, a high-salt and low-water diet is reasonable. But human lifestyles are no longer like this. Drinking more water and eating less salt, these two cheap, simple and healthy methods can completely help us prevent or treat obesity.
