A new report out of Virginia Tech finds that adults who drink two cups of water prior to each meal not only consume fewer calories, but also lose more weight than those who don’t fill up on H20.
Researchers studied 48 people divided into two groups. One group was instructed to drink water before each meal, while the other group was given no instructions.
Prior to the study, participants averaged between 1,800 and 2,200 calories a day, but during the study their daily caloric intake was cut to 1,200 calories for women and 1,500 for men.
At the end of the 12 week study, the group who consistently drank water before every meal lost an average of 15.5 pounds, while the group who only cut calories lost around 11 pounds each.
Brenda Davy, lead author of the study and an associate professor in Virginia Tech’s Department of Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise, noted that subjects in the water drinking group have continued the habit and are continuing to lose even more weight one year after the study’s conclusion, whereas the participants in the other group have admitted to putting weight back on in the months since the study ended.
The theory behind the weight loss is that drinking more water at meal time fills you up faster, causing you to eat less while still feeling full. The caveat, however, is that drinking water before a meal may only promote weight loss if you’re at least middle age.
Davy noted that previous studies indicate filling up on agua before chow time did not reduce calorie consumption for people ages 18 to 35. One reason may be that water begins leaving the stomach very quickly in younger adults, whereas it takes longer for the stomach to empty in older individuals, promoting a lasting feeling of fulness.
