Eating less will reduce stomach size... Is that true?

There is a saying for those who are on a diet...

"When food intake is reduced, the size of the stomach is also reduced, so you will feel full even if you eat a little."

This comes from the belief that the stomach is elastic, 

so if you eat less, the stomach will shrink in size. It is said that even with a small amount of food, you feel full and your appetite is reduced, and the success rate of dieting increases. However, this belief is far from scientific truth.

According to gastroenterology experts, the abdomen has the property of stretching and shrinking like a rubber band. Thanks to this elasticity, it is possible to cope with binge eating.

How big is Luffy's stomach in the Japanese manga One Piece?

If so, what about the contracting capacity, not the expansion capacity? After eating and digesting, the stomach has the ability to contract and return to its normal size. The problem is that the size of the stomach does not continue to decrease as the amount eaten is reduced.

If the size of the stomach becomes smaller as they eat less, it means that people who are underweight or normal weight should have smaller stomachs than those who are overweight or obese. However, according to a paper published in the Journal of Gastroenterology, this is not the case. Although the weight varies from person to person, the size of the stomach is not much different.

Oh my, are there any side effects?

Rather, eating a very small amount of food to reduce the size of the stomach only increases the probability of side effects. If you eat less than usual, you will feel hungry easily. At this time, our body recognizes that we are starving and triggers complex physiological and hormonal responses to maintain a normal weight.

Ghrelin, the fasting hormone, is secreted explosively, which in turn increases appetite. Attempts to eat less can lead to strong cravings, which can lead to binge eating. At the same time, the body temperature drops and the metabolic rate slows down, leading to a tendency to minimize the use of energy stored in the body.

So what's the conclusion?

In other words, reducing food intake in an extreme way is not helpful in reducing stomach size or in weight loss. The misconception that our body is in a state of famine causes various side effects. Rather than reducing the amount of food all at once, it is better to gradually reduce it and give your body time to adapt. Rather than a quick diet, it is suggested to control the amount of food in a way that reduces 100 to 200 calories a day.