It’s often said that one of the things you should do every day if you’re trying to lose weight is to drink plenty of water, but some advice on the internet suggests that you should drink about a gallon of water. Some suggest that it should. The claim is that water burns calories and suppresses appetite, resulting in weight loss.
But while everyone might wish they could lose weight this easily, unfortunately, there’s little evidence to support these claims.
Myth 1: Water Helps Burn Calories
One small studyfound that drinking 500ml of water increased resting energy expenditure (the calories your body burns before exercise) by about 24 percent in 14 young people.
This may sound great, but the effect only lasted for an hour. And this won’t make much of a difference. For an average adult weighing 70 kg, he will only consume an additional 20 calories (1/4 of her biscuit) for every 500 ml of water she drinks.
another study Eight young people reported increased energy expenditure only when the water was chilled in the refrigerator, and only 4 percent increased their calorie consumption.
This may be because the body needs to use more energy to bring the water up to body temperature, or because the kidneys need more energy to filter the increased fluid. there is. Again, this effect was only seen for about an hour.
So while it may be scientifically possible, the actual net increase in calories burned is small. For example, even if he drank an extra 1.5 liters of water a day, he would save fewer calories than he would get in a piece of bread.
It is also worth noting that this study was all in young healthy adults. Further research is needed to confirm whether this effect is also seen in other groups (such as middle-aged and elderly).
Myth 2: Drinking water with meals reduces appetite
This claim also seems plausible in that when the stomach is at least partially filled with water, there is less room for food and consequently less food to eat.
A number of studies actually support this, especially middle aged. This is why it is recommended for people who are not feeling well or have no appetite. do not drink before meals Because it can lead to overeating.
But for those trying to lose weight, the science is a little less straightforward.
a study Researchers showed that middle-aged and older adults who drank water before meals lost 2 kg of weight over 12 weeks compared to those who did not drink water with meals.
Younger participants (21-35 years old), on the other hand, did not lose weight regardless of whether they drank water before meals.
However, because the study was not blinded (information that could affect participants was withheld until the end of the experiment), participants were not asked why they were drinking water before meals. It means that you may have noticed. For this reason, it is possible that some participants intentionally changed how much they ate in hopes of seeing more changes in weight loss.
However, this does not explain why this effect was not seen in young people, and it will be important for future research to investigate why.
Another challenge in many of these types of studies is that they focus solely on whether participants eat less in just one meal of the day after drinking water. Although this may suggest weight loss potential, Little high-quality evidence It shows that decreased appetite in general leads to weight loss over time.
Perhaps this is due to the biological impulses of our body. maintain size. For this reason, in Europe, no legal claims can be made about foods that help maintain good health. long-lasting satiety and Weight Loss Reference.
Therefore, although water may have an appetite-reducing effect, it does not appear to cause long-term weight changes, possibly due to conscious changes in diet. there is.
water alone is not enough
There’s a good reason water alone isn’t as effective. regulation of appetite. If so, prehistoric humans might have starved.
However, appetite and satiety (feeling full and not wanting to eat again) are not entirely consistent with being able to eat. lose weightwhich may serve as a starting point.
It is the stomach that helps us feel full. When food enters the stomach, stretch receptors are stimulated, triggering the release of hormones that signal satiety.
However, since water is a liquid, it is quickly cleared from the stomach and does not actually fill you up. More interestingly, belly shapeliquid can bypass the semi-solid food contents that are being digested in the lower stomach.
This means that the stomach can quickly expel water. So even if you take it at the end of a meal, it won’t necessarily make you feel fuller for longer.
If you’re trying to lose weight by eating less, drinking too much water may not be a good solution. However, if water is mixed with other substances (e.g., fiber, soup or vegetable sauce).
However, while water may not directly help you lose weight, it can still help, given that water is the healthiest drink we can choose. Replacing high-calorie beverages such as soda and alcohol with water is an easy way to reduce your daily calorie consumption and may help with weight loss.
Duane MellorAston Medical School, Leader in Evidence-Based Medicine and Nutrition, Aston University
This article is reprinted from conversation Under Creative Commons License.read Original work.
