Scientists at the University of Birmingham have found that
drinking 500ml of water half an hour before major meals of the day may aid in
weight loss among adults with obesity.
Obesity is a major health issue in the United States where
two out of every three Americans are considered to be overweight or obese.
Published in the journal Obesity, the study revealed
that obese adults who ‘pre-loaded’ with 500ml of plain tap water before meal
lost an average of 4.3 kg (9.5lbs) over a 12-weeks period.
The group consisted of 84 obese adults who were recruited
from general practices. They were divided into two groups and monitored over a
12 week period.
41 of those recruited were asked to consume 500 ml of tap
water 30 minutes before breakfast, lunch and dinner - referred to as
"preloading" - every day for 12 weeks. The remaining 43 belonged to
the control group who were advised to imagine that they had a full stomach
before eating.
Each of the participants, all adults with obesity, were
given a weight management consultation, where they were advised on how to adapt
their lifestyle and improve their diet and levels of physical activity. [Read more Avoid obesity: Have home-cooked meals, turn off the TV while eating]
Those who pre-loaded before all three main meals in the day
reported a loss of 4.3kg (9.48lbs) over the 12 weeks, whereas those who only
preloaded once, or not at all, only lost an average of 0.8kg (1.76lbs).
“The beauty of these findings is in the simplicity. Just
drinking a pint of water, three times a day, before your main meals may help
reduce your weight,” said Dr. Helen Paretti, NIHR Clinical lecturer at the
University of Birmingham.
"When combined with brief instructions on how to
increase your amount of physical activity and on a healthy diet, this seems to
help people to achieve some extra weight loss -- at a moderate and healthy
rate. It's something that doesn't take much work to integrate into our busy
everyday lives."
The study team hopes that the results will encourage further
research into the benefits of pre-loading with water before main meals. They
are asking for support for a trial study they plan to do with a larger number
of participants and over a longer period of time in order to confirm the
findings.
"Losing a few extra pounds over the course of a year can be significant to an individual, and this could be an easy way to help with that weight loss. It's a simple message that has the potential to make a real contribution to public health," Dr. Parretti concluded.
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