Does water cause weight loss?

Water may contribute to some degree of weight loss but not for the reasons that you may think. Water does not have any specific chemicals that raises the metabolism, impairs fat absorption from the gut or suppresses appetite – the key effects of weight loss compounds. However, water can indirectly have these effects and may therefore reduce weight gain rather than promoting weight loss. Once again it depends on the quantity of water consumed in a day and how often it is consumed.

• Water contributes to bulk in the stomach and drinking sufficient water before or even during a meal may reduce the amount of food that you eat. Since food contains the calories that you need for energy and fat accumulation, water indirectly reduces your calorie intake albeit moderately.
• Water improves the movement of food and wastes through your bowels. By reducing the bowel transit time, your body may absorb less fat than it would with slower movement. Furthermore water helps you expel the wastes that can accumulate in the bowels and contribute to overall body weight.
• Water counteracts the state of mild dehydration that has become commonplace in modern life. It is a medium used for most body process and has been shown to help the body’s overall metabolism maintain a normal level. Water does not boost the metabolism above the norm but can still prevent weight gain through a lower than normal metabolic rate.
• Water helps restore your energy levels and mood as people who are dehydrated tend to be tired and even feel slightly down emotionally. By doing so, it increases a person’s ability and desire to be more physically active and decreases the tendency to snack in order to increase energy levels and improve mood.

To sum up, drinking enough water in a day can help with preventing weight gain although it will not directly cause weight loss. While there may be fears of conditions like hyponatremia (low blood sodium levels) from excessive water intake, this is very unlikely to occur in a healthy person who is drinking a normal amount of water in a day.