Masters of Health Magazine May 2025 | Page 44

  • known as water-induced thermogenesis. Think of it like flipping on the furnace—your body burns more energy to process the sudden fluid intake, possibly due to signals from osmoreceptors that detect changes in the blood's fluid balance. The paper references a

     2003 study that showed that drinking 500 mL of water increases metabolic rate in men and women by 30%, and this is observed within 10 minutes after drinking water!

  •  Helps burn fat: Water is essential for metabolizing stored fat, and even mild dehydration can slow down fat-burning and overall metabolism.

  •  Reduces hunger: Drinking water before meals can naturally suppress appetite, making it easier to eat less without feeling deprived.

  • Study #4: Water fountains in schools prevent development of overweight

    In this  randomized controlled trial of 32 elementary schools, researchers installed water fountains and delivered four classroom lessons promoting water consumption in the intervention group. After one school year, children in the intervention group drank more water (1.1 more glasses, on average, per day) and had a 31% lower risk of becoming overweight compared to the control group. What this means is that while the baseline overweight rate was 23.4% in the intervention group (the group that got the water fountains), this did not change throughout the year (this intervention group ended the year with 23.5% of kids overweight). In contrast, in the control group that didn’t get the water fountains, overweight rates went from 25.9% to 27.9%, up almost 2%. Therefore, the increased water intake was associated with much lower chances of developing overweight throughout the school year.