Water is essential to health, and doctors at MayoClinic.com recommend you drink a minimum of five glasses a day to stay properly hydrated. People who live in hot climates, exercise or are ill require more as do women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. But a reported bonus of drinking water--weight loss--has more people reaching for an extra glass or bottle of water. There's little risk in adding water to your diet, and one study says it will help you lose weight.
Water and Metabolism
Water induces weight loss by boosting metabolism, according to a study conducted in doctors in Germany and published in a 2003 editions of the "Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism." The study involved 14 men and women, all of whom were drug-free, non-smokers. Participants drank 500 ml (a little more than 2 cups) of water. Their metabolic rates increased by 30 percent, and the effects lasted for more than an hour.
How Drinking Water May Shed Pounds
According to the researchers' measurements, you could burn an extra 17,400 calories a year by drinking 1.5 liters of water (about six cups) and lose about 5 lbs. This is the same amount of weight you could expect to lose if you took 100 milligrams per day of the prescription-drug ephedrine, or if you took up bowling three nights a week. Theoretically, you could lose 10 lbs. in a year by drinking 12 glasses of water a day.
Water for Good Health
Weight-conscious or not, you need to drink water to stay hydrated. You can get water from sources other than the tap or a bottle--soda, coffee, tea, juice, fruits, vegetables and soup broth. Beer and wine also contain water, although the alcohol in these beverages has a dehydrating effect. Water also helps give you full feeling, which may curb your appetite. If the water you add to your diet replaces sugary beverages, the savings in calories would be significant. If you drank six cups of water instead of four cans of soda, you would eliminate 226,300 calories from your diet each year. This means that the switch from soda to water could mean a weight loss of 65 lbs. in a year.
Side Effects
It is rare to suffer side effects from drinking too much water. Fatalities have occurred in athletes who, after vigorous exercise, sought to quickly rehydrate by drinking a gallon of more of water in minutes. If you drink water steadily throughout the day or at reasonably spaced intervals--a glass of water with meals, snacks and before bedtime --you should be OK, according to researchers at MayoClinic.com. Your kidneys can be overworked if you drink too much water. Don't rely on thirst alone to tell you how much water to drink. A simple test is to examine the color of your urine. Pale yellow urine is healthy. Dark urine means you're not getting enough water, and clear urine may be a sign that you are overdoing.
Precautions
Water is healthy and vital. The study linking water consumption to weight loss, however, relies on a small sample group. Anyone with a kidney disorder or compromised immune system should consult with a doctor before increasing daily water intake.
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