Health experts have long touted the benefits of drinking water, and now new research from the University of Illinois discovered evidence supporting that notion, finding that upping H2O intake can help people eat less and cut back on sugar, sodium, and saturated fat.
Writing in the latest edition of the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, kinesiology and community health professor Ruopeng An and his colleagues analyzed the dietary habits of more than 18,000 American adults, and found that those who drank one percent more water from any source (tap, bottled, cooler, or drinking fountain) reduced their total calorie intake by an average of 8.53 percent.
Those who increased their consumption by one to three cups per day lowered their total energy intake by 68 to 205 calories, as well as their daily sodium intake by 78 to 235 grams, the authors wrote. In addition, those individual decreased their sugar consumption by five to 18 grams and cholesterol consumption by seven to 21 grams per day.
In a statement, An said that the results were “similar across race/ethnicity, education, income levels, and body weight status,” and that the findings suggest ‘”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 in diverse population subgroups without profound concerns about message and strategy customization.”
Increased water consumption reduced calorie intake by 8.6
As part of their research, the authors examined data from four different waves of the National Center for Health Statistics National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2005 through 2012. As part of the survey, participants were asked to catalog everything they ate or drank over the course of two days that were between three and 10 days apart.
An calculated the amount of plain water (not counting beverages such as unsweetened coffee, black tea or herbal tea) each person consumed, and found they drank an average of 4.2 cups of plain water per day and consumed an average of 2,157 calories per day. Approximately 125 of those calories came from sugar-sweetened beverages, while 432 came from junk food.
The researchers found that a one-percent increase in daily plain water consumption was linked to an average decrease in daily calorie consumption of 8.6, as well as slight reductions in the intake of sugary drinks and dessert foods, and reduced fat, sugar, sodium and cholesterol as well. These decreases were found to be greater in men than women, and in young and middle-age adults.
“Promoting plain water intake could be a useful public health strategy for reducing energy and targeted nutrient consumption in US adults,” the authors wrote, noting that the outcome of their research “warrants confirmation in future controlled interventions.”
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