IS TOO MUCH SALT, AND TOO LITTLE WATER MAKING PEOPLE OBESE?

SALT CAUSES A DEHYDRATION-LIKE STATE THAT ENCOURAGES THE CONVERSION OF THE STARCH IN THE FRENCH FRY TO FRUCTOSE.

Scientific studies and media coverage are rife with warnings on how sugar, carbohydrates, saturated fat and lack of exercise contribute to obesity. And tens of millions of Americans are still overweight or obese in large part because of the classic Western diet and lifestyle.

As an educator, researcher and professor of medicine, I have spent more than 20 years investigating the causes of obesity, as well as related conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and chronic kidney disease.

Throughout my many years of studying obesity and related health conditions, I’ve observed that relatively little is said about two significant pieces of this very complex puzzle: lack of hydration and excessive salt intake. Both are known to contribute to obesity.

Nature provides a clue to the role these factors play with the desert sand rat Psammomys obesus, a half-pound rodent with a high-pitched squeak that lives in the salty marshes and deserts of Northern Africa. It survives, barely, by eating the stems of Salicornia – the glasswort – a plant that looks a bit like asparagus.

Although low in nutrients, the glasswort’s fleshy, succulent sap is filled with water that’s rich in salt, at concentrations as high as what’s found in seawater.

Recent studies have provided new insights into why the desert sand rat might crave the salty sap of glasswort. Although this has not yet been proven specifically in the sand rat, it is likely that a high-salt diet helps the sand rat convert the relatively low amount of carbohydrates it’s ingesting into fructose, a type of sugar that occurs naturally in fruits, honey and some vegetables. This helps the animal survive when food and fresh water are sparse. This is because fructose activates a “survival switch” that stimulates foraging, food intake and the storage of fat and carbohydrates that protect the animal from starvation.

However, when the rat is brought into captivity and given the common rodent diet of about 50% carbohydrates, it rapidly develops obesity and diabetes. But if given fresh vegetables low in starchy carbohydrates, the rodent remains lean.

My research, and the research of many other scientists over the decades, shows that many Americans unwittingly behave much like a captive desert sand rat, although few are in settings where food and water are limited. They are constantly activating the survival switch.

As mentioned, fructose, a simple sugar, appears to have a key role in activating this survival switch that leads to fat production.

Small amounts of fructose, like that found in an individual fruit, are not the problem – rather it is excessive amounts of fructose that are problematic for human health. Most of us get our fructose from table sugar and highfructose corn syrup. Intake of these two sugars totals approximately 15% of calories in the average American diet. These sugars encourage people to eat more, which can lead to weight gain, fat accumulation and prediabetes. Our bodies also make fructose on their own – and experimental studies suggest it may be enough to trigger the development of obesity.

Since fructose is made from glucose, production of fructose increases when blood glucose levels are high. This process happens when we eat a lot of rice, cereal, potatoes and white bread; those are carbs that rapidly release glucose into the blood rapidly.

And notably, fructose production can also be stimulated by dehydration, which drives fat production.

Fat has two major functions. The first one, which is well known, is to store calories for a later time when food is unavailable.

The other major but lesser-known function of fat is to provide water.

To be clear, fat does not contain water. But when fat breaks down, it generates water in the body. The amount produced is substantial, and roughly equivalent to the amount of fat burned. It’s so significant that some animals rely on fat to provide water during times when it’s not available.

Whales are but one example. While they drink some seawater, they get most of their water from the foods they eat. And when they go for extended periods without food, they get their water primarily by metabolizing fat.

The role of dehydration as a contributor to obesity should not be underestimated. It commonly occurs after eating salty foods. Both dehydration and salt consumption lead to the production of fructose and fat. This is why salty french fries are especially fattening. The salt causes a dehydration-like state that encourages the conversion of the starch in the french fry to fructose.

What’s more, studies show most people who are overweight or obese don’t drink enough water. They are far more likely to be dehydrated than those who are lean. Their salt intake is also very high compared with lean people’s.

Research shows that people with obesity frequently have high levels of vasopressin, a hormone that helps the kidneys hold water to regulate urine volume.

But recent studies suggest vasopressin has another purpose, which is to stimulate fat production.

For someone at risk of dehydration or starvation, vasopressin may have a real survival benefit. But for those not at risk, vasopressin could drive most of the metabolic effects of excess fructose, like weight gain, fat accumulation, fatty liver and prediabetes.

So does this mean drinking more water can help us lose weight? The medical community has often scoffed at the assertion. However, our research team found that giving mice more water slowed weight gain and the development of prediabetes, even when the mice had diets rich in sugar and fat.

There is also increasing evidence that most people drink too little water in general, and increasing water intake may help people who are obese lose weight.

That’s why I encourage drinking eight tall glasses of water a day. And eight is likely enough; don’t assume more is better. There have been cases of people drinking so much that “water intoxication” occurs. This is particularly a problem with people who have heart, kidney or liver conditions, as well as those who have had recent surgery or are long-distance runners. It’s always good to first check with your doctor about water intake.

For the desert sand rat, and for our ancestors who scavenged for food, a high-salt and limited-water diet made sense. But human beings no longer live that way. These simple measures –drinking more water and reducing salt intake – offer cheap, easy and healthy strategies that may prevent or treat obesity.

(Credit: The Conversation)

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COMPOUNDING ISN’T JUST USEFUL IN FINANCE. IT IS A PRINCIPLE THAT APPLIES TO ALL OF LIFE. BRAD STULBERG RESEARCHES AND WRITES ON SUSTAINABLE EXCELLENCE AND WELLBEING, EXPLAINS ITS MAGICAL POWERS. HE IS THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE NEW BOOK, THE PRACTICE OF GROUNDEDNESS: A PATH TO SUCCESS THAT FEEDS - NOT CRUSHES - YOUR SOUL.

Growing up, long before he experienced success and became worth billions of dollars, a young Warren Buffet would tell his family and friends, “Do I really want to spend $300,000 on this haircut?” The haircut he was referring to, of course, wasn’t in the six figure range. It probably would have costed him closer to $20. Buffet’s point was that if he cut his own hair, saved the monthly $20 expense, and invested it, over the course of his life all of those seemingly insignificant $20 investments would have netted him thousands of dollars. Buffet was speaking to the law of compounding gains, which goes something like this: small investments made consistently over time build upon themselves and, eventually, amount to something big.

“Recognizing that every dollar you spend today is $10 or $100 or $1,000 you won’t have in the future doesn’t have to make you a miser. It teaches you to acknowledge the importance of measuring trade-offs. You should always weigh the need or desire that today’s spending fulfills against what you could accomplish with that money after letting it grow for years or decades into the future. And the more often you trade, the more likely you are to disrupt compounding and to have to start all over again,” writes Jason Zweig in the Wall Street Journal.

Compounding isn’t just useful in finance. It is a principle that applies to all of life. Brushing your teeth every day is a small investment. If you skip it, nothing bad happens on that day. But if consistently skip it, those small “not so bad days” add up—and you are left with a costly, both financially and in terms of human suffering, dental disaster. Some other areas where compounding gains matter a lot:

EATING YOUR VEGETABLES. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. READING.

MAKING TIME FOR INTIMATE CONNECTION WITH YOUR LOVED ONES. SLEEPING.

PRACTICING AN INSTRUMENT. MEDITATION (OR OTHER FORMS OF CONTEMPLATION).

In all of these examples, you build on what you did today, tomorrow. You start the next day just a little bit better, often so little you can’t even measure it, than you were the day before. But if you add up those increments over the course of a lifetime, the result can be massive.

Another important lesson related to consistency and compounding is this: It is harder to make up loses than it is to accrue gains. For simplicity’s sake, imagine that you have $1.00 and it goes down 50 percent. In order to get back to where you started, you must double your 50 cents; or put another way, you must go up by 100 percent. The same goes for so many endeavors beyond finance. If you attempt a heroic effort and it goes poorly—for example, you go for broke in sport and wind up injured; you go for broke in a relationship and wind up in way over your head; you go for broke in diet and wind up with an eating disorder - getting back to where you started is going to require a lot more effort than the potential gains that you lost. known as your gut microbiome - will benefit your body's immune system, improve your mood and digestion, and help to ward off diseases. A 2021 systematic review published in the Journal of Nutrition found a link between oat consumption and increasing beneficial bacterial groups within one's gut, making it a gut-friendly and hearthealthy breakfast. "Incorporating a wide variety of plant foods like oats is also beneficial for gut diversity, which is another important aspect of gut health," says Michalczyk.

Put simply, if you go big or go home you often end up home, and with a long journey to get back to where you started. If you go small and steady over a long period of time, however, you often end up with something big. Are there exceptions to this rule? Of course. If you are in the home stretch of an Olympic gold-medal race then taking a huge risk, one that could result in an injury, might be worth it. After all, perhaps you’ll never be in that position again, and the upside is being crowned the best in the world. But these types of exceptions prove the rule.

In the final analysis, the rule of compounding gains says that it is important to resist skipping small good habits or engaging in small bad ones. It’s not just about the benefits or losses you experience on that particular day, it’s about the compounding benefits or losses. Equally important, resist the urge to put forth heroic efforts. Generally speaking, if you fail, the work required to get back to where you started is going to be a lot more than your potential gains.

Don’t think about being consistently great. It’s a trap. It’s impossible. Think about being great at being consistent. It’s a reliable path to growth and achieving one’s potential that makes a lot more sense.

THERE'S SO MUCH YOU CAN DO WITH A CONTAINER OF OATS. YOU CAN ENJOY THEM WARM, SOAK THEM OVERNIGHT, BAKE THEM INTO BARS OR MUFFINS, OR EVEN BLEND THEM INTO A WAFFLE BATTER. YET BESIDES SUCH DELICIOUS VERSATILITY, WHY EXACTLY DO HEALTH EXPERTS RECOMMEND OATMEAL AS A GO-TO MORNING MEAL? HOW DOES A SIMPLE BOWL OF OATS AFFECT YOUR LONG-TERM HEALTH?

HERE'S WHAT THE SCIENCE SAYS ABOUT CONSUMING OATMEAL ON A REGULAR BASIS.

YOU'LL MANAGE YOUR WEIGHT EASIER

You Will Feel Fuller For Longer

Oats are a great source of fiber, a carbohydrate that the body cannot digest. Because fiber slows down digestion, you won't feel as hungry for a longer period, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Eating fiber-rich foods helps avoid spikes and dips in your blood sugar levels while reducing feelings of hunger. "Having oats for breakfast or incorporated into different foods as meals and snacks is a great way to give the meal more staying power and help you feel fuller for longer," says Maggie Michalczyk, RDN. According to the USDA's FoodData Central, 1 cup of cooked oatmeal contains 4 grams of fiber, which is 16% of the recommended daily value.

You Will Have An Easier Time In The Bathroom

"Oats contain a special type of soluble fiber called beta-glucan," says Michalczyk. "Beta-glucan forms a gellike consistency in the gut and helps to keep things moving in your digestive tract and keep you regular." This helps with bulking up your stool, making it easier for your bowel movement later. Plus, pairing your oatmeal with sources of insoluble fiber - like unpeeled sliced apples, nuts or blackberries - can also help keep things moving in your digestive tract and make things easier in the bathroom later.

Your Risk Of Heart Disease Will Decrease

Starting your morning with a bowl of oats can benefit your heart health in more ways than one. Because of the fiber content, oatmeal can help lower your "bad" LDL cholesterol, stabilize blood sugar levels and even lower high blood pressure - all of which play a significant role in minimizing risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Your Gut Bacteria Will Thrive

Oatmeal is also a prebiotic food, which feeds the good bacteria in your gut. Maintaining healthy gut bacteria - also

Along with these positive benefits, research shows this popular breakfast can even support weight-loss and weightmanagement efforts. According to a 2021 review published in Foods, oat beta-glucan has positive effects on hyperglycemia, lowering blood lipid levels and reducing weight. "The fiber content of oatmeal is filling and satiating, which in turn can help with eating fewer calories throughout the day and managing your weight," says Michalczyk. "Beta-glucan may also promote the release of peptide YY, a hormone produced in the gut that helps with satiety."

The Bottom Line

Oatmeal's high fiber content and prebiotic qualities may benefit your body in more ways than one. Making oatmeal a regular part of your menu can potentially lower your disease risk, help your gut health thrive, make bowel movements easier and keep you feeling fuller for longer.

(Credit: Kiersten Hickman for Eating Well)