Juice cleanses. Calorie trackers. Sad desk lunches. None of them are particularly enjoyable. Which is why it is a genuine pleasure to come across research suggesting that the thing you actually want before dinner might also be, in some modest scientific sense, good for you.
According to Professor Inge Depoortere of KU Leuven’s Faculty of Medicine, bitter substances consumed before a meal can influence how full you feel during and after it. The mechanism works in two stages. First, bitterness triggers a brief spike in hunger hormones, lasting around half an hour. After that, the bitter compounds act directly on the stomach, slowing how quickly it empties and meaning you stay satisfied for longer. The result, at least in the studies so far, is that people eat less overall.
The bitter compound tested includes quinine, the ingredient that gives tonic water its distinctive edge. Celebrity chef Sergio Herman has apparently been saying this for years: a gin-tonic before dinner sharpens the appetite and sets the table, so to speak, for a more considered meal. Science may be slowly catching up with him.
The honest caveat: the professor is careful to note that the research is still early. There are roughly a thousand different bitter compounds, and it remains unclear which ones are responsible for the effect, or what the long-term implications might be. The studies were largely conducted on mice. Still, as far as preliminary findings go, these are among the more civilised ones.
In the meantime, the aperitif endures as one of the great rituals of a well-paced evening. Whether or not the science eventually bears out, there is something to be said for sitting down with a cold glass of something bitter, slowing the pace a little, and letting dinner begin properly.