Can drinking water before meals help you lose a little weight?
Effect of 'water induced thermogenesis' on body weight, body mass index and body composition of overweight subjects.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
The study claims water-induced thermogenesis caused weight loss—but never measured metabolic rate, energy expenditure, or body temperature.
It’s rare for a study to attribute a mechanism (thermogenesis) without testing it. Most journals would reject this. Yet, it was published and cited.
Practical Takeaways
If you’re trying to lose weight, try drinking 500ml of water 30 minutes before meals—it might help you eat less without costing anything.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
The study claims water-induced thermogenesis caused weight loss—but never measured metabolic rate, energy expenditure, or body temperature.
It’s rare for a study to attribute a mechanism (thermogenesis) without testing it. Most journals would reject this. Yet, it was published and cited.
Practical Takeaways
If you’re trying to lose weight, try drinking 500ml of water 30 minutes before meals—it might help you eat less without costing anything.
Publication
Journal
Journal of clinical and diagnostic research : JCDR
Year
2013
Authors
Vinu Vij, Anjali S Joshi
Related Content
Claims (5)
This study only looked at young women — so we can’t say if drinking more water helps men, older people, or those who are severely obese.
When young women who are overweight drink an extra six glasses of water a day before meals for two months, they tend to lose a little weight, their BMI goes down a bit, and their body fat measurements slightly improve.
Drinking a large glass of water before each meal for two months is linked to a small but measurable drop in body fat measurements at the arm, belly, and thigh in overweight young women.
Overweight young women who drink more water for two months tend to have a slightly lower BMI, even if they didn’t change what they ate.
Even though the study says water makes your body burn more calories, it didn’t actually measure whether that happened — so that part of the claim is just guessing.