Want to cut calories and reduce your intake of saturated fat, sugar, sodium and cholesterol?
Drink more water.
That’s the conclusion reached by University of Illinois Kinesiology and Community Health Professor Ruopeng An, PhD. in a study published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics.
Study Results
An’s study looked at more than 18,300 adults in the United States between 2005 and 2012. It found that subjects who increased their consumption of plain water by just 1% not only reduced caloric intake by 8.58 calories, but also cut their consumption of saturated fat, sugar, sodium and cholesterol, according to the Illinois News Bureau.
Those who drank one to three more cups of water daily saw their caloric intake drop by 68 to 205 calories per day, while sodium intake declined by 78 to 235 milligrams. In addition, sugar consumption fell by anywhere from five to almost 18 grams, while cholesterol consumption dropped by seven to 21 milligrams.
“The impact of plain water intake on diet was similar across race/ethnicity, education and income levels and body weight status,” An said. “This finding indicates that it might be sufficient to design and deliver universal nutrition interventions and education campaigns that promote plain water consumption in replacement of beverages with calories.”
Participants consumed about 4.2 cups of plain water each day – more than 30% of total water consumption. Each participant consumed an average of 2,157 calories daily, including 125 calories coming from sugar-sweetened drinks and 432 calories from assorted junk foods.
The overall benefits were somewhat larger for men than women and for younger and middle-aged adults than their older counterparts.
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Different Study, Similar Results
When water was made available in school cafeterias in New York City during a test program, the body mass index (BMI) of students showed small, but statistically significant decreases, according to a January 2016 study published in JAMA Pediatrics.
Between 2008 and 2013, The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and U.S. Department of Education installed “water jets” – electronically-powered push lever jugs – in 40% of the city’s schools.
In schools that had the jugs for at least three months, the BMIs for boys fell 0.025 and 0.022 for girls compared to schools without the dispensers, researchers at the New York University Langone Medical Center reported.
“This study demonstrates that doing something as simple as providing free and readily available water to students may have positive impacts on their overall health, particularly weight management,” said Dr. Brian Elbel, an associate professor at NYU Langone Medical Center.
A Magic Elixir
Water comprises the majority of the human body, so it’s important to drink plenty of it. Some nutritionists recommend eight eight-ounce glasses of water each day, which is called the 8×8 rule.
Proper hydration maximizes physical performance, improves energy levels and brain function and can prevent and treat headaches. It also may relieve constipation, decrease the risk of kidney stone formation and prevent and relieve hangovers.
