Water Important for Diets? Nah, Say Experts

Hmm.  Somebody should let Weight Watchers know.  For years it's been promoting drinking water -- and lots of it -- in order to lose weight.

Now a new study says it doesn't help at all. 

“There is very little evidence that drinking water promotes weight loss; it is one of those self-perpetuating myths,” said Beth Kitchin, Ph.D., R.D., assistant professor of nutrition sciences, tells newswise.com. “I’m not saying drinking water isn’t good; but only one study showed people who drank more water burned a few extra calories, and it was only a couple of extra calories a day.”

Another myth? Kitchin says you don't need to drink 8 glasses of water a day.

“Yes, people do need to get fluids; but it does not have to be water,” Kitchin said at newswise.com. “There’s no evidence that it melts away fat or makes you feel fuller, so if you don’t like water it’s OK.”

While water remains the best hydrator, fluid replacement does not have to be in the form of water. You could also drink green tea or diet soda (though the jury is out on that one), mix mineral water with juice, or add a low-calorie powdered beverage mix to water.

I'm so happy to see that Kitchin says even caffeinated beverages provide fluid.  (I drink gallons of iced tea year-round.)

“People think coffee doesn’t count, but actually it does,” she said. “When you drink coffee, your body is retaining much of that fluid — especially for people who are habituated to drinking caffeine, as the body adapts, resulting in a reduced loss of fluids.”

And finally, a myth I saw on Oprah.  The temperature of the water you drink does not matter.  “You will hear that ice-cold water helps burn extra calories,” Kitchin said. “While there may be a few extra calories lost, it won’t be nearly enough to make a dent in your weight-loss endeavors.”