Dietary benefits of drinking more water
by Calli Gregg
I n a study conducted by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign which examined the dietary habits of more than 18,300 U.S. adults found the majority of people who increased their consump- tion of plain water, which is that from tap water, cooler, drinking fountain or bottle by one percent reduced their total daily calorie intake as well as their consumption of saturated fat, sugar, sodium and cholesterol, showing the benefits of drinking more water can have on the body. In the study, those who increased their consump- tion of water by one, two or three cups daily decreased their total energy intake by 68 to 205 calories daily and their sodium intake by 78 to 235 milligrams, according to a paper by University of Illinois kinesiology and community health profes- sor Ruopeng An. Results also show that those that were part of the study also consumed 5 grams to 18 grams less sugar with the additional intake of water and decreased their cholesterol consump- tion by 7 to 21 milligrams daily. “The impact of plain water intake on diet was similar across race/ethnicity, education and income levels and body weight status,” Professor An said. “This finding indicates that it might be sufficient to design and deliver universal nutri- tion interventions and education campaigns that promote plain water consumption in replacement of beverages with calories in diverse population subgroups without profound concerns about message and strategy customization.”
Professor An calculated the amount of plain water each person consumed as a percentage of their daily dietary water intake from food and bever- ages combined. Beverages such as unsweetened black tea, herbal tea and coffee were not counted as sources of plain water, but their water content was included in Professor An’s calculations of par- ticipants’ total dietary water consumption. On average, participants consumed about 4.2 cups of plain water on a daily basis, accounting for slightly more than 30 percent of their total dietary water intake. Participants’ average calorie intake was 2,157 calories, including 125 calories from sugar-sweetened beverages and 432 calories from discretionary foods, which are low-nutrition, calorie-dense foods such as desserts, pastries and snack mixes that add variety to but are not neces- sary for a healthy diet.
A small but statistically significant 1 percent increase in participants’ daily consumption of plain water was associated with an 8.6-calorie decrease in daily energy intake, as well as slight reductions in participants’ intake of sugar-sweet- ened beverages and discretionary foods along with their consumption of fat, sugar, sodium and cholesterol. While Professor An found that the decreases were greater among men and among young and mid- dle-aged adults, he suggested they could have been associated with these groups’ higher daily calorie intakes. So maybe all those people talking around the water cooler are talking about getting and staying healthier and not the latest office gossip, either way it just goes to show that drinking more water is a good thing and can have a positive impact on your body and your wellbeing so head to your favorite water cooler and drink up, you will feel better for doing so.
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NOVEMBER 2019 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER 2019
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