Water and Obesity

Water is an essential part of the human diet. However, the amount of recommended water intake per day varies greatly from study to study and remains controversial. The availability and variety of sweetened and caloric drinks have been increasing at a similar pace and pattern with the prevalence of obesity worldwide and it is believed that there is a positive correlation between increased energy intake from caloric beverages and obesity. That is the reason many diet guidelines and weight control programs recommend increasing water intake as a preventative measure to reduce the intake of calories from caloric beverages. Still, the direct impact of increasing water intake or the level of consumption on obesity has not been clearly demonstrated.

It is possible that people who tend to be more health conscious—hence they watch their weight fluctuation more carefully—choose to drink more water in place of caloric beverages, falsely concluding that increasing water intake will lead to a reduced prevalence of obesity. Regardless, water is an excellent hydration option without additional calories and it may need to be investigated more closely to determine the link between the level of water consumption, in combination with other factors, and the likelihood of being obese.

In an attempt to curb the increasing rate of obesity prevalence, different ways of reducing calorie intake have been explored by researchers and obesity prevention program developers. Because the proportion of energy intake from beverages has been increasing rapidly—it is approximated that over 20 percent of total calories come from beverages for an average American—reducing the number of calories in liquid form can be a possible preventive measure against obesity or part of a weight-loss regimen. However, another factor needs to be considered when discussing energy intake and obesity: satiety. Satiety is the sensation of being full in the stomach after food intake and it can be a contributing factor to obesity because different types and volume of food can affect the level of satiety. For instance, one will experience a greater level of satiety when one eats large quantities of food or food that is high in energy density. That is the [Page 788]reason some researchers believe that drinking more water, which contains no calories and can provide satiety from the volume, can be helpful in reducing the prevalence of obesity.

Even though further investigations are needed, educating the public about the benefits of healthy lifestyle, rather than increasing water consumption alone, may be more beneficial in preventing or treating obesity.

Still, the impact of satiety from beverage intake, whether caloric or not, needs to be examined. While some studies show that the amount of food consumed following consumption of beverages decreased, others demonstrate that the amount of beverages consumed prior to meals had no substantial relationship to the calorie intake. Hence, it is possible that drinking sweetened or caloric beverages before or during meals have no impact on the amount or calories of food intake. It is also possible that consuming caloric drinks prior to eating may add to the total calories consumed without substantially reducing the energy intake from the food. Replacing caloric beverages with water may be recommended to those who are at risk of developing or suffering from obesity. However, there is currently no agreement on the compensational mechanism of increasing water intake on the amount of food intake and the number of total calories consumed.

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