We all know that drinking water is good for you, but a new study sheds light on why it can help you lose weight...

A study conducted in the USA found that middle-aged adults who drank two cups of water before each meal consumed fewer kilojoules than those who did not. The study divided the participants into two groups. One group consumed a low-fat, low-calorie diet and the second group followed the same diet but had to drink two cups of water before each meal.

The data from the clinical trial after 12 weeks was as follows: the group that drank the water before their meals had lost 7kg, compared to 5kg for the non-water drinkers.

In a previous study it was found that drinking water before a meal, reduced the total energy intake up to 378KJ. The research is not saying that drinking more water is the new golden solution to melting the fat away but it can be used as a strategy with a low-fat, low-calorie diet and exercise.

The following study was done amongst adults over the age of 35. More research is needed for adults between 18-35 years of age. The theory why it worked in more mature adults, is their stomach takes longer to empty, therefore the sense of fullness remains for a longer period of time. Other research has found that if you increase your water intake, you automatically increase your fruit and vegetable intake and decrease your sugary beverages and total calories. The new information from the research is what we all have known for some time, an increase in water intake is vitally important and it has benefits for weight loss as well.