Giving kids or adults water instead of soda doesn’t usually make them lose weight if they just eat more food to make up for the missing calories.

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Evidence from Studies

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Contradicting (1)

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Negative, Null and Beneficial Effects of Drinking Water on Energy Intake, Energy Expenditure, Fat Oxidation and Weight Change in Randomized Trials: A Qualitative Review

Narrative Review

2016 Jan 2

This study found that when people drink water instead of sugary drinks, they eat fewer total calories — even when they can eat as much as they want. This means the claim that calories just make up for it elsewhere is wrong.

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Negative, Null and Beneficial Effects of Drinking Water on Energy Intake, Energy Expenditure, Fat Oxidation and Weight Change in Randomized Trials: A Qualitative Review

Score: 1

DOI: 10.3390/nu8010019

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If kids or overweight adults switch from soda or juice to water without changing what they eat, they tend to gain less weight over time — but if they’re on a strict diet, water doesn’t help much.

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