Quote:
Originally Posted by Stovebolt
I overheard this today at my local McDonald's. Is there some truth in this, or was this lady sadly mistaken?
She said to her friend:
"Haven't you heard that when you eat food, you need to drink a hot liquid with it. If you drink something hot, like hot water, it will help to break up the fat in your food and prevent it from storing. On the other hand, if you drink something cold, the fat will stay solid and you'll store it up."
|
I'm afraid she was talking crap !
Fats and other lipids do not dissolve in water; instead, they tend to congeal together into large masses. This separation of lipid and water reduces the effectiveness of fat-digesting enzymes, which are known as lipase. Without extra assistance, the lipases would not have access to most of the fat molecules, and fats would pass through the digestive tract without being digested.
But the problem is solved by using bile, a substance that is produced by the liver and stored (and released) by the gall bladder. Bile consists of molecules that have a dual nature. Half of the molecule is attracted to water, and the other half is attracted to fats. The bile molecules therefore place themselves in between the fat and water. In this way the fat droplets remain suspended in water rather than merging together. This process is also called emulsification, and is similar to the way that dish washing detergents remove grease from dirty dishes. In the digestive tract, emulsification allows lipase to gain access to the fat molecules and thus facilitates digestion.