Debunking the Myths: Does Drinking Water Really Help with Weight Loss?

It is often said that if you are trying to lose weight, one of the things you should do every day is to drink plenty of water. Some internet advice even suggests that this should be a 4.5 liter. The thought is that water helps burn calories and reduce appetite, which in turn leads to weight loss.

But while we all wish losing weight was that easy, unfortunately there’s little evidence to back up these claims.

Myth 1: Water helps burn calories

From one small study among 14 young adults, drinking 500 ml of water was found to increase resting energy expenditure (the amount of calories our bodies burn before exercise) by about 24 percent.

This effect only one hour. A 70kg adult would burn just an extra 20 calories – a quarter of a cookie – for every pint of water they drank.

Another investigation among eight young adults saw an increase in energy expenditure only when the water was fridge cold — producing a very modest 4 percent increase in calories burned.

This may be because the body needs more energy to bring the water to body temperature, or because the body needs more energy to filter the larger volume of fluid through the kidneys. And again, this effect was only observed for about an hour.

So while it might be scientifically possible, the actual net increase in calories burned is small. For example, even if you drink an extra 1.5 liters of water per day, you save fewer calories than you consume with a slice of bread.

It’s also worth noting that all of this research was done in young, healthy adults. More research is needed to see if this effect is seen in other groups (such as middle-aged and older adults).

Myth 2: Water with meals reduces appetite

This claim also seems sensible, in that if your stomach is at least partially full of water, there’s less room for food — and you end up eating less.

A number of studies support this. It is also a reason why people who are not feeling well or have a poor appetite are advised not to drink before eatingas this can lead to malnutrition.

But for people who want to lose weight, the science is a little less kind.

An investigation showed that middle-aged and older adults lost 2 kg over a 12-week period when they drank water before meals, compared to people who didn’t drink water with meals.

Younger participants (21-35 years), on the other hand, did not lose weight, regardless of whether they drank water before meals or not. There are studies that suggest a link between water before meals and weight loss, but there are also studies that contradict that

The other challenge with much of this kind of research is that it only focuses on whether participants eat less during just one of their daily meals after drinking water. While this could indicate the possibility of losing weight, there is very little evidence of it which shows that reducing appetite in general leads to weight loss over time.

So, while there may be some appetite-suppressing effects of water, it doesn’t seem to lead to long-term weight change — and may be due to making conscious changes to your diet.

Part of what helps us feel full is our stomach. When food enters the stomach, it activates stretch receptors which in turn trigger the release of hormones that tell us we are full.

But because water is a liquid, it is quickly emptied from our stomach — meaning it doesn’t really fill us up.

This means that the water can still be quickly removed from the stomach. So even if consumed at the end of a meal, it doesn’t necessarily increase your sense of satiety.

If you’re trying to eat less and lose weight, drinking large amounts of water may not be a good solution. But there is some evidence that when water is mixed with other substances (such as fibres , soups or vegetable sauces), this can slow down how quickly the liquid moves out of your stomach – meaning you feel fuller for longer.

Bron(nen): Sciencealtert