Sip Before Dining
Regular physical activity and health diet are key elements for effective weight management. Helen Parretti, from the University of Birmingham (United Kingdom), and colleagues enrolled 84 obese adults in a study in which subjects drank either 500 mL of tap water 30 minutes prior to a main meal (“preloading”); or no pre-meal beverage (but asked to imagine having a full stomach before the main meal). Each subject was given a weight management consultation at the study’s start, and at 2 weeks. Study participants who preloaded with water lost, on average, 1.3kg (2.87lbs) more than those in the control group. Further, those consuming water before all three main meals in the day reported a loss of 4.3kg (9.48lbs) over 12 weeks; those who only preloaded once, or not at all, only lost an average of 0.8kg (1.76lbs). The study authors submit that their data is “preliminary evidence that water preloading before main meals leads to a moderate weight loss at follow up.”