When you drink water instead of sugary drinks, your body burns more fat, especially if you haven’t eaten recently or are doing light exercise, because sugar in drinks stops your body from burning fat.

Pro

Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

Community contributions welcome

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

Contradicting (0)

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No contradicting evidence found

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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When you drink water instead of sugary drinks while resting or doing light exercise, your body burns more fat because sugar in drinks tells your body to stop burning fat.

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When you drink water instead of sugary drinks while resting or walking, your body burns more fat because sugar in drinks tells your body to stop burning fat and start storing it.

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For people who are overweight, drinking a glass of water on an empty stomach can slightly boost calorie burning, but this doesn’t happen in people with normal weight.

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If you're already eating less or don't drink many sugary drinks, swapping water for them won't help you lose weight—because you weren't drinking many extra calories to begin with.

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Hydration in a fasted, low-insulin state significantly enhances fat oxidation compared to hydrated states following carbohydrate intake.

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