Watching your waistline? Pay attention to how thirsty you are, suggests a new study that found a link between poor hydration and obesity.
Using information from a national health and nutrition survey and urine tests to gauge hydration, University of Michigan researchers discovered that those who did not consume enough water were more likely to be obese than hydrated adults.
The thirsty group also had higher body mass index numbers than others.
Drinking water — especially before meals — is a popular technique among those trying to lose weight. But there hasn’t been concrete scientific proof of its effectiveness before this study, which expanded the focus to include foods with high water content.
“What we showed is there is a relationship between hydration status and weight status,” explained lead author Dr. Tammy Chang.