Never dreamed you’d find the solution to your weight loss woes at the bottom of a pint glass? Well think again: scientists have discovered you can do just that, provided it’s filled with water.
In tests, obese people who drank 500mls of tap water half an hour before every meal lost significantly more weight than a control group.
Those in the group who were instructed to ‘preload’ with water lost, on average, 1.3kg (2.87lbs) more. And participants who reported preloading before all three main meals in the day reported a loss of 4.3kg (9.48lbs) over the 12 weeks.
Those who only preloaded once, or not at all, only lost an average of 0.8kg (1.76lbs).
Dr Helen Parretti, NIHR Clinical Lecturer at the University of Birmingham, explained, “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.”
Need to make hydration more interesting? Try these delicious flavoured waters.
