Middle-aged and older adults ate fewer calories
and shed more pounds when they drank two cups of water before a meal
compared with those who didn’t, according to research presented at the
American Chemical Society meeting and reported by HealthDay News.
For
the study, researchers at Virginia Tech divided overweight and obese
participants, ages 55 and 75, into two groups. One followed a low-fat,
low-calorie diet while the other followed the same diet but also drank
two cups of water before each of their three daily meals.
After
a three-month follow-up, those in the group who drank water lost an
average of five more pounds than those who didn’t drink water. And they
also realized an added bonus. Downing a couple glasses of water before
a meal helped them keep weight off. One year later, researchers found
that dieters who continued to drink their pre-meal water didn’t regain
any weight, plus they lost, on average, an extra 1.5 pounds.
“Drinking
more water is a pretty simple strategy that may be helpful to people
trying to lose weight,” said lead author Brenda Davy, PhD, RD, an
associate professor in the department of human nutrition, foods and
exercise at Virginia Tech.
How exactly did drinking water
help? Apparently, it takes longer for water in the stomach to empty in
older people, making them feel fuller and less hungry for longer. But
only older adults experienced H2O benefits.
Previous studies showed that water left the stomachs of people ages 18 to 35 almost immediately, providing no diet benefits.
Still,
this research could help fight the obesity epidemic in America. How?
Because it showed that if people drank water directly before and after
meals, they ate much less food. But the hard part is getting people to
drink water instead of high-calorie beverages, researchers explained.
“We’re
not saying ‘Drink more water and the body fat will melt away,’” Davy
said. “But for people who are trying to lose weight and trying to
follow a low-cal diet, it’s something they can do as part of that.”
Click here to read why drinking fewer sugary beverages is better for your health.
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