Intake of hot water after each meal as a weight reduction strategy – a prospective randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Introduction and Aim: Intake of water before meal is associated with weight loss. There is a paucity of literature with comparative evaluation of taking warm water or regular water after meals on weight and BMI. Hence, we designed a randomized controlled trial with regular and warm water after meals to investigate the comparative efficacy of warm and regular water intake after meals on weight and BMI in overweight adults. Methodology: Fifty participants were randomized into two groups, with Group H instructed to drink 200-250 ml of warm water after each meal and Group C to drink the same amount of regular water. Results: The demographic data prior to the study in both the groups were similar. Compliance was high in both groups, and after three months, the warm water group experienced a significant reduction in weight and BMI compared to the regular water group (p=0.000). In Group H, weight and BMI came down from 76 to 73 and 29 to 27 respectively. Conclusion: The study concluded that warm water intake after meals may contribute to weight loss without major side effects. This is the first attempt to investigate the influence of warm water on weight reduction.