Hydrate for a Healthy Weight

You’ve probably heard the recommendation to “drink more water” before -- whether you are trying to lift your mood, manage your weight, improve your productivity, boost your athletic performance or just feel better overall, experts agree that staying well hydrated is key. Numerous studies have documented the effect of dehydration on physical, emotional and mental health, however, the research on hydration status and weight control has been mixed, in part, researchers say, due to the way hydration is being measured. In a recent study, researchers looked beyond water intake to assess the relationship between inadequate hydration and obesity, and their findings may have you running to the water cooler.

In the past, researchers examining this topic have used water consumption as the means to measure the level of hydration. The trouble with this method is that many factors impact the amount of water each individual needs to stay hydrated, including climate, activity level and body size. Therefore, water intake alone is not the best predictor of hydration status.

The limitations of this method led researchers to look at this topic in a new way, using concentration of water in urine, known as urine osmolality, to measure hydration. Urine osmolality more effectively measures hydration as it accounts for water acquired in food and other beverages and is not subject to recall bias by participants. The researchers used a sample from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2009 to 2012 that included data from nearly 10,000 adults. The findings revealed that inadequate hydration was associated with higher body mass index (BMI) and obesity among adults. Overweight and obese individuals needed more water to stay hydrated than those who were not overweight.

Bottom Line: More research is needed on the relationship between weight status and hydration, but we do know staying well hydrated has benefits that reach far beyond weight management. Not sure if you are getting enough fluids? One straightforward way to tell is if you feel thirsty. While this may seem like an obvious tip, people often confuse thirst symptoms with hunger or general fatigue. Having a dry mouth or feeling run down and less alert are symptoms of thirst. Urine color is another way to tell hydration status; dark yellow urine indicates it is time to drink up.

While water is best for hydration, don’t forget about water-laden foods such as cucumbers, celery, watermelon, raw broccoli and carrots, plums, apples and peaches. Not only are fruits and vegetables packed with water, they also pack in the nutrients for very few calories, an all around win!

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