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  • Letter to the Editor
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Hydration increases cell metabolism

International Journal of Obesity volume 33, page 385 (2009)Cite this article

The recent article by Mathai et al.1 published in the International Journal of Obesity entitled ‘Selective reduction in body fat mass and plasma leptin induced by angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition in rats’ is very interesting for a number of reasons but perhaps one of the most important is the fact that the treated rats drank twice the amount of water (about 80 ml day−1) as the non-treated controls (about 40 ml day−1). This is a large difference that would have the effect of increasing the flow of water through the body. The authors discuss this point and cite four other studies that have also found increased water intake with renin–angiotensin system inhibition. They suggest possible mechanisms for this enhanced drinking as being due to an increased presence, and thus action, of angiotensin in the brain due to ACE inhibition in the periphery and/or due to urine loss. Both of these are credible physiological mechanisms but they need to be demonstrated.

Parallel to this increased water intake, in this study and the four other studies cited (plus other studies referenced but where water intake was not measured), inhibition of the renin–angiotensin system produced a marked decrease in adiposity. This could suggest that either inhibition of the renin–angiotensin system unblocks fat metabolizing mechanisms, or that the increased water intake per se allows cells to hydrate better and thus regulate fat metabolism better.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. INSERM, U684, Université Henri Poincaré, Vandoeuvre les Nancy, France

    S N Thornton

  2. Université Henri Poincaré, Nancy Université, Nancy, France

    S N Thornton

  3. INRA, Agroparistech, UMR914 Nutrition Physiology and Ingestive Behavior, Paris, France

    P C Even

  4. Center for Behavior and Neurosciences, University of Groningen, Haren, The Netherlands. E-mail: simon.thornton@nancy.inserm.fr,

    G van Dijk

Authors
  1. S N Thornton
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  2. P C Even
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  3. G van Dijk
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Thornton, S., Even, P. & van Dijk, G. Hydration increases cell metabolism. Int J Obes 33, 385 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2008.264

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