Increasing water intake influences hunger and food preference, but does not reliably suppress energy intake in adults.
McKay NJ, Belous IV, Temple JL.
Physiol Behav. 2018 Apr 17. pii: S0031-9384(18)30205-1. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2018.04.024. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID: 29678599
Abstract
Increasing water intake is often purported to reduce energy intake, and is recommended as a weight loss strategy. The few experimental studies that have been conducted to verify these claims have examined the impact of a single pre-load of water before a meal. Although correlational data indicate a relationship between hydration, energy intake, and weight status, there is very little experimental research in this area. The current studies examined the hypothesis that elevated hydration, through increased water intake, would suppress energy intake. In Experiment 1, participants (n = 49) were asked to consume either one, two, or three 500 ml bottles of water throughout the morning before a lunch buffet in the laboratory. When participants categorized as normal weight drank three bottles of water they consumed less energy at lunch, but there was no effect on participants categorized as overweight or obese. In addition, increased water intake suppressed liking of food items in all participants and hunger in females. A follow-up study (n = 45) was conducted to test if four bottles of water throughout the morning would result in a similar energy suppression in participants categorized as overweight or obese. Surprisingly, in the second experiment, there was no effect of water intake on energy intake at lunch in any of the conditions. There was, however, a similar suppression of hunger and food liking. In conclusion, increasing water intake throughout the morning only suppressed energy intake in individuals categorized as normal weight under certain circumstances, and had no effect on individuals categorized as overweight/obese.
KEYWORDS:
Energy intake; Food intake; Hunger; Hydration; Water intake
Study suggests drinking water reduces appetite for normal weight people but not for the obese
I think it’s worthwhile to experiment. If drinking water (or coffee, tea or anything else without carbs) can lower appetite I think it’s a handy trick, especially if it helps with any form of fasting. When I was obese, prior to keto, I don’t think it mattered much if I drank water, I was always hungry and fasting wasn’t imaginable. I’m still a little overweight by bodyfat % but now I find drinking water, tea and broth super helpful and I frequently quench my hunger, especially for fasting.
My guess is if they redid the experiment on people following a keto diet they would have found the appetite squelching effects stronger for everyone including the heavy and maybe the obese too.
I am getting by with mushroom broth, and pretty ok with it fasting. A year ago it would not have been enough, I think.
K
Yes, it does tend to work a little better now for me, but before I started down this path, it definitely wasn’t.
I think the water suppressing appetite is only because it makes one feel full(read: disgusted), but it is actually “empty calories”(I know this term is originally used for those processed nutrition-less food, but what I mean is that it is the empty quantity that fills up the stomach, making the brain unable to take in other things yet.)
water is without any calories and macronutrients, yes.
but, it is liquid that takes up the space.