Water: A Metabolism Booster?

There have been claims that drinking water will increase your metabolism, and lead to further weight loss in a diet.  However, doesn’t it sound a little too good to be true?  Water, one of the most fundamental compounds on the earth…is the answer to the ever-present, growing weight loss problem? 

            The human body requires water to carryout tons of physiological functions.  In fact, water accounts for 2/3 of a person’s body weight.  Specifically, water makes up 90% of a body’s blood plasma, which accounts for most fluctuations in blood volume.  Blood is the main transporter of oxygen, carbon dioxide, hormones and bodily waste.  Most of the time when the blood volume decreases, it means that the plasma volume has been reduced, usually from dehydration.  This results in a smaller stroke volume, (the amount of blood being pumped by the heart in one pulse), and can lead to a temporarily lowered blood pressure.  If there is only a minimal amount of blood being pumped throughout the body, the cells, tissue and organs will only receive the minimum amount of oxygen.  This restricts the nutrients that the cells are able to metabolize to function properly.  When the body is properly hydrated, the blood volume remains stable and the body tissues receive enough oxygen to metabolize maximum nutrients…which burns more calories.  But how many calories are we talking about here?

The answer to this question varies somewhat.  An article published in 2003 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism discussed a study in which healthy participants (men and women), drank 500 ml water/day.  Immediately after drinking the water, the participant’s metabolic rates were monitored to determine whether water would affect it.  The study found incredible results.  All of the participant’s metabolic rates increased by thirty percent within the first half hour of drinking the water and remained high for one hour after water consumption.  These results supported that when a person drinks 8 glasses of water each day, they have the potential of burning 70 additional calories had you decided not to drink any water. 

So why does this happen?  The answer is actually not that complicated.  When we bring something cold into or against the body, heat is transferred to the cold object until the body and cold object have the same temperature.  When you drink water, especially ice water, the body is having to work harder and requires more energy to maintain body temperature.

Now this does not mean go chug cold water; that can be dangerous and increase blood volume to unsafe levels.  However, if you follow the simple “8 glasses of water” rule, you will burn a few more calories each day, and after several years, it adds up!

References

Barth, Christy. Give you metabolism a boost. (10/9/2010). Retrieved from http://livebreathenutrition.blogspot.com.

Jordan, Jennifer. Drink, drink, drink…how water increases metabolism. (11/4/2010).  Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?Drink,-Drink,-Drink---How-Water-Increases-Metabolism&id=1001158.

Keefer, Amber.  Does drinking water increase metabolism? (11/4/2010). Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/30240-drinking-water-increase-metabolism/.