Claims regularly circulate online that drinking water or other liquids with a meal can negatively affect digestion. These claims focus on the idea that liquids might decrease saliva secretions which have enzymes that help break down food, or that they might dilute stomach acid and enzymes themselves.

These claims are not based in fact. The body is able to adapt to the consistency of a meal, including liquids like water. There is also no evidence that liquids have any impact on the speed of digestion; while liquids pass through the digestive system faster than solid foods, they do not impact the speed or quality of the digestion of solid foods.

Alcoholic beverages do decrease the rate of saliva flow which can negatively impact digestion, but this is primarily the case for hard liquor and is not a concern for drinks commonly consumed with meals such as beer and wine. Acidic drinks have the opposite effect: they slightly increase the rate of digestion.

Unlike hard liquor, research shows that most liquids can, in fact, help to improve digestion when consumed before, during, or just after a meal. Water is actually secreted by the stomach during digestion, so additional water can help the stomach in its process. This is because liquids help to break down large pieces of food and can help broken down food move more smoothly.

Finally, research indicates that there are other benefits of consuming water with a meal, including reduction in appetite, reduction in calorie intake, and an increase in metabolism. These benefits are still being studied and may not apply to everyone. These benefits have also only been shown for water, not drinks that have calories like juice or milk.

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