More Water Intake Curtails Sugar, Salt and Fat Consumption

Water is a fundamental component since 70% of the body comprises of water. In a recent study issued in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Prof.Ruopeng An, stated that increasing plain water consumption results in excellent weight management and reduces intake of sugar, salt and fat. The investigators acquired a nationally representative sample from approximately 18,300 adults in the US from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005-2012.

The participants were asked to recall all foods and drinks they consumed on 2 days that were between 3-10 days apart. In addition to plain water intake (defined as water from a tap, cooler, drinking fountain or bottle), most people consume beverages like black tea, herbal tea, coffee and other drinks; and other foods (soup broths, celery, tomatoes and melons). On account of these criteria, the amount of plain water consumed was calculated as a percentage of daily dietary water intake from foods and beverages. Demographics showed that on an average, participants consumed about 30% of plain water (about 4.2 cups/day).

Overall calorie intake of each participant was 2,157 calories (125 cal from sugar-sweetened beverages, 432 cal from nonessential foods—desserts, pastries, snack mixes). However, in participants who increased their plain water consumption by 1-3 cups/day, significant reduction was observed in total energy intake (68-205 cal), sugar intake (18 g/day), salt intake (78-235 g/day) and fat intake (7-21 g/day).

The study further claims that educational campaigns and nutritional interventions does not need a customized approach to promote plain water intake since increasing plain water intake and replacing calorific beverages with water is an effective public health strategy to reduce high energy intake in diverse population.

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