According to a study published in Pediatrics, encouraging kids to drink water may help them to overcome obesity. This study combined social and environmental intervention to promote the consumption of water in German Grade Schools. The researchers found out that kids who drank more water had 31% less risk of being overweight.
Study:
German researchers studied about 2950 kids from 32 different grade schools for a period of 1 school year. The schools were divided into two groups, the first group consisted of 17 schools where water consumption was promoted, the second group consisted of 15 schools where water consumption was not promoted
Water consumption was promoted in the first group by:
- Installing water fountains in the schools
- Teaching about the benefits of water consumption
- Giving water bottles to the kids
After the above social and environmental intervention, kids in the first group increased their water intake to 1.1 glasses every day (1 glass was taken as 200 ml). After 1 school year, the researchers found out that kids who belonged to the first group ( who were encouraged to drink water), had 31% less risk of being overweight.
Some studies suggest that water consumption may decrease the apetite, increase the calorie burn rate, and decrease the intake of juices, soft drinks etc. This might be the reason why drinking water may help in overcoming obesity. However, in this study, the researchers did not observe a significant decrease in beverage consumption among the kids.
This study shows that drinking water may be helpful in preventing childhood obesity. Among other means of reducing obesity such as healthy diet, exercising, water consumption may also play a vital role in preventing obesity.
