Drinking more water may result in more weight loss, says new small study

         

 Posted on July 7, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

                                  Association between water consumption and body weight outcomes: a systematic review 1,2,3; Rebecca Muckelbauer, Giselle Sarganas, Anke Grüneis, and Jacqueline Müller-Nordhorn; First published June 26, 2013, doi: 10.3945/​ajcn.112.055061 Am J Clin Nutr August 2013 ajcn.055061 ; + Author Affiliations: 1 From the Berlin School of Public Health, Charité University Medical Center Berlin, Berlin, Germany; + Author Notes: ↵2 Supported by the Berlin School of Public Health, Charité University Medical Center Berlin, Germany; ↵3 Address correspondence to R Muckelbauer, Berlin School of Public Health, Charité University Medical Center Berlin, Seestr. 73, 13347 Berlin, Germany. E-mail: rebecca.muckelbauer@charite.de.

 Abstract

Background:

Drinking water is often applied as a dietary means for weight loss and overweight/obesity prevention, but no evidence-based recommendation exists for this indication.

Objective:

We summarized the existing evidence on the association between water consumption and body weight outcomes in adults of any body weight status.

Design:

In a systematic review, we retrieved studies from 4 electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and COCHRANE), cross-references by PubMed functions and hand-searching, and experts’ recommendations. Any type of study including adults aged >18 y that reported the association between daily water consumption and any weight-related outcome, such as body weight, body mass index, or body weight classifications, was eligible.

Results:

Of 4963 retrieved records, 11 original studies and 2 systematic reviews were included. In participants dieting for weight loss or maintenance, a randomized controlled trial, a nonrandomized controlled trial, and an observational longitudinal study showed that increased water consumption, in addition to a program for weight loss or maintenance, reduced body weight after 3–12 mo compared with such a program alone. In mixed-weight populations not primarily dieting for weight loss or maintenance, 2 short-term randomized trials showed no effect of water consumption on body weight; 6 cross-sectional studies showed inconsistent results.

Conclusions:

Studies of individuals dieting for weight loss or maintenance suggest a weight-reducing effect of increased water consumption, whereas studies in general mixed-weight populations yielded inconsistent results. The evidence for this association is still low, mostly because of the lack of good-quality studies. This trial was registered at www.crd.york.ac.uk/Prospero as CRD42012002585.

Received November 19, 2012.

Accepted April 29, 2013.