Clinical trial confirms effectiveness of simple appetite control method

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Clinical trial confirms effectiveness of simple appetite control method

Drinking more water before meals can help promote weight loss.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-08/acs-ctc080910.php

BOSTON, Aug. 23, 2010 — Has the long-sought magic potion in society's " battle

with the bulge " finally arrived? An appetite-control agent that requires no

prescription, has no common side effects, and costs almost nothing? Scientists

today reported results of a new clinical trial confirming that just two 8-ounce

glasses of the stuff, taken before meals, enables people to shed pounds. The

weight-loss elixir, they told the 240th National Meeting of the American

Chemical Society (ACS), is ordinary water.

" We are presenting results of the first randomized controlled intervention trial

demonstrating that increased water consumption is an effective weight loss

strategy, " said Davy, Ph.D., senior author on the study. " We found in

earlier studies that middle aged and older people who drank two cups of water

right before eating a meal ate between 75 and 90 fewer calories during that

meal. In this recent study, we found that over the course of 12 weeks, dieters

who drank water before meals, three times per day, lost about 5 pounds more than

dieters who did not increase their water intake. "

" People should drink more water and less sugary, high-calorie drinks. It's a

simple way to facilitate weight management. "

Davy pointed out that folklore and everyday experience long have suggested that

water can help promote weight loss. But there has been surprisingly little

scientific information on the topic. Previous studies hinted that drinking water

before meals reduces intake of calories. Lacking until now, however, has been

the " gold-standard " evidence from a randomized, controlled clinical trial that

compares weight loss among dieters who drink water before meals with those who

do not.

The study included 48 adults aged 55-75 years, divided into two groups. One

group drank 2 cups of water prior to their meals and the other did not. All of

the subjects ate a low-calorie diet during the study. Over the course of 12

weeks, water drinkers lost about 15.5 pounds, while the non-water drinkers lost

about 11 pounds.

Davy said water may be so effective simply because it fills up the stomach with

a substance that has zero calories. People feel fuller as a result, and eat less

calorie-containing food during the meal. Increased water consumption may also

help people lose weight if they drink it in place of sweetened

calorie-containing beverages, said Davy, who is with Virginia Tech in

Blacksburg, Va.

Diet soda pop and other beverages with artificial sweeteners may also help

people reduce their calorie intake and lose weight, Davy said. However, she

advised against using beverages sweetened with sugar and high-fructose corn

syrup because they are high in calories. A 12-ounce can of regular soda pop, for

instance, contains about 10 teaspoons of sugar.

Davy noted that that nobody knows exactly how much water people should drink

daily. The Institute of Medicine, an agency of The National Academies, which

advises the Federal Government on science, says that most healthy people can

simply let thirst be their guide. It does not specify exact requirements for

water, but set general recommendations for women at about 9 cups of fluids —

from all beverages including water — each day, and men at about 13 cups of

fluids.

And it is possible to drink too much water, a situation that can lead to a rare,

but serious, condition known as water intoxication, Davy pointed out.

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The Institute for Public Health and Water Research, a non -profit, independent

science and education organization whose mission is to improve public health

through the consumption of quality drinking water, funded the study.

The American Chemical Society is a non-profit organization chartered by the U.S.

Congress. With more than 161,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific

society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research

through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific

conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.