A glass of water a day keeps obesity away?
Drinking 500ml of water half an hour before eating meals may help obese adults lose weight. A study conducted at the University of Birmingham on 84 obese adults showed that this simple intervention could be profoundly beneficial. The group was randomly split into two, and both were given a weight management consultation, to discuss how best to adapt lifestyle and behaviour, in order to promote weight loss. 41 were asked to “preload” with water before eating, whilst the others were told to imagine their stomach was full.
The participants were monitored over a 12 week period, and those that were asked to drink water before their main meal lost, on average, 1.3kg more than those in the control group. Those who preloaded 3 times a day lost 4.3kg! The intervention was simple and was shown to be effective at follow-up. We must bear in mind though that it was not only filling up on water before meals that resulted in weight loss, each participant was given lifestyle advice. The researchers hope to continue their research on a larger population in the future.
