Water Consumption Reduces Energy Intake at a Breakfast Meal in Obese Older Adults

Abstract

Water consumed before a meal has been found to reduce energy intake among nonobese older adults. However, it is unknown whether this effect is evident among overweight and obese older adults, a population who would benefit from strategies to improve energy intake regulation. Our purpose was to determine whether premeal water consumption reduces meal energy intake in overweight and obese older adults. Twenty-four overweight and obese adults (body mass index=34.3±1.2), mean age 61.3±1.1 years, were given an ad libitum standardized breakfast meal on two randomly assigned occasions. Thirty minutes before the meal, subjects were given either a 500-mL water preload or no preload. Energy intake at each meal was covertly measured. Meal energy intake was significantly less in the water preload condition as compared with the no-preload condition (500±32 vs 574±38, respectively; P=0.004), representing an approximate 13% reduction in meal energy intake. The percentage reduction in meal energy intake following the water preload was not related to sex, age, body mass index, or habitual daily water consumption (all P>0.05). Given the high prevalence of overweight and obesity among older adults, future studies should determine whether premeal water consumption is an effective long-term weight control strategy for older adults.Advancing age is associated with weight gain (1,2), and obesity is common in older adults (≥60 years of age) (3). Numerous factors likely contribute to age-related weight gain, including a reduction in energy expenditure, a reduction in energy requirements, and an increased susceptibility to energy overconsumption (4-8). Although it is often thought of as an inevitable consequence of the aging process, weight gain leading to overweight and obesity in older adults has serious consequences, including increased morbidity and mortality, decreased mobility, and increased health care utilization and costs (9-13).A common belief is that water ingestion reduces energy intake, but there is surprisingly little data addressing this possibility. Among nonobese young and older adults, water consumed before a meal increases satiety (14). Water consumed with a meal reduces sensations of hunger and satiety among normal-weight young and middle-aged women (15). Popkin and colleagues (16) reported that daily energy consumption among habitual water drinkers in the general adult population was approximately 9% (194 kcal/day) less than those who do not drink water. We recently reported that premeal water consumption reduced energy intake at a meal in nonobese older adults, but not in younger adults (14). However, to our knowledge it is unknown whether such an effect is evident in overweight and obese older adults, a population who would benefit from a strategy designed to suppress hunger and reduce energy intake at meals. Thus, the purpose of the present investigation was to investigate this issue. METHODS SubjectsTwenty-four overweight and obese (body mass index=34.3±1.2) adults (seven men, 17 women) with a mean age of...

Immediate pre-meal water ingestion decreases voluntary food intake in lean young males

“…A number of previous studies have investigated the effect of pre-meal water ingestion on ad-libitum energy intake at a single meal [7][8][9], with water ingested either 30 min or 60 min before the ad-libitum meal. Studies of obese [9] and non-obese [8] older adults (~60 y of age) have reported that a water preload ingested 30 minutes before a meal, reduces ad-libitum energy intake at the meal compared to a no preload trial.…”

“…Studies of obese [9] and non-obese [8] older adults (~60 y of age) have reported that a water preload ingested 30 minutes before a meal, reduces ad-libitum energy intake at the meal compared to a no preload trial. In contrast, studies of young adults have observed no effect on ad-libitum energy intake compared to a no preload control trial when water preloads are provided 30 minutes before a meal [7,8], 60 minutes before a meal [7] or during a meal [7].…”

“…A number of studies have investigated the effects of ingesting water before a meal on subsequent voluntary food intake [7][8][9]. Studies have reported that ingestion of a water preload 30 minutes before an ad-libitum meal leads to a reduction in energy intake at the meal in non-obese older [8] and obese older adults [9], but not younger adults [7,8].…”

“…Studies have reported that ingestion of a water preload 30 minutes before an ad-libitum meal leads to a reduction in energy intake at the meal in non-obese older [8] and obese older adults [9], but not younger adults [7,8]. The mechanism by which water ingestion before a meal reduces acute energy intake is not fully understood, but might be related to increased gastric distention, producing increased feelings of satiety and decreased hunger.…”

Water and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and changes in BMI among Brazilian fourth graders after 1-year follow-up

“…However, experimental designs where sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) have been replaced with water have yielded controversial findings (3)(4)(5)(6)(7) . Systematic reviews, primarily of observational studies, compared the effects of drinking water and other beverages on energy intake and concluded that water plays an important role in reducing energy intake (8,9) .…”