Drinking water before meals helps with weight loss

August 24, 2010 in Nutrition Topics in the News, Weight Management

Drinking water before meals helps with weight loss
New study findings from researchers in the U.S are reporting that people who drink water before meals are more successful at losing weight.

They found that people who drank two eight-ounce glasses of water about 20 minutes before meals lost about 5 pounds more, on average, over 12 weeks than dieters who didn't increase their water intake.

The study is reportedly the first randomized controlled trial looking at water consumption and dieting.

To investigate, researchers studied 48 older adults between the ages of 55 and 75, split into two groups, over the course of 12 weeks.

The first group followed a low-calorie diet but did not drink any extra water before meals.

The second group followed the low-calorie diet but also drank two glasses of water before each meal.

Over the course of 12 weeks, those drinking water lost about 15.5lbs while the others lost about 11lbs.

Researchers note that drinking water can make you feel full on zero calories.  They also suggest that people should drink more water and less sugary, high-calorie drinks in order to facilitate weight management.

The findings were presented at the National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston.

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