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Study first to confirm drinking water could help you lose weight
December 14, 2006
Scientists at Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI) are the first to confirm that drinking at least four glasses of water each day may help a person lose more weight than people who drink sodas or other sweetened beverages.
The research, led by Jodi Stookey, Ph.D., assistant staff scientist at Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, studied 240 overweight women between 25 and 50 years old. Seventy percent of the women frequently drank at least one can of sweetened beverages each day before following popular diet plans. At the end of the one-year study, scientists found that dieters who drank water instead of sugary beverages lost an average of three additional pounds.
“Some of the women in our study lost up to 20 pounds, which is a substantial amount of weight for most people who just want to shed a few extra pounds,” said Dr. Stookey. “If the cells in our bodies are well-hydrated, we may be able to burn more calories,” she added. “More research needs to be done to determine the exact mechanism of how water stimulates weight loss, but our research provides new evidence that links water consumption to weight loss.”
While some women in the study lost weight consuming diet beverages, the weight shed was not as much as those who drank water in the study. “If your New Year’s resolution is to lose weight, drinking water may be an easy and healthy way to start,” said Dr. Stookey. Her next research will examine if the same link between water and weightloss exists in children.
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