Drinking plenty of water can provide a number of health benefits, including supporting digestion and metabolism, enhancing physical performance, and promoting weight loss
Aids digestion
Drinking water with a meal promotes the secretion of gastric acids that help break down food you eat. Water also helps dissolve water-soluble vitamins, including vitamin C and the B vitamins, and transport them to the rest of your body for use.
Additionally, making sure you get enough water can help prevent and relieve constipation. One way it accomplishes this is by enhancing the action of fiber consumed in the diet, increasing stool frequency in individuals suffering from functional constipation.
Supports metabolism
Research has shown that water intake can increase your metabolism. One small study involving 14 healthy men and women found that drinking just 17 ounces of water increased metabolic rate by an average of 30% for upwards of an hour, peaking at 30 to 40 minutes after drinking. These metabolic benefits may also play a role in enhancing exercise performance and weight loss.
Enhances physical performance
Making sure you’re sufficiently hydrated during your workout is important, particularly if you participate in endurance activities such as marathons or dynamic workouts such as high intensity interval training (HIIT). Drinking enough water during exercise can have a positive effect on your performance by improving blood volume, cardiac output, muscle blood flow, and skin blood flow. Research also reports that physical performance drops with even modest dehydration, approximately 2% of your body mass. That’s key since athletes can lose 6 to 10% of their body weight via sweat during a single workout.
Promotes weight loss
Studies show that drinking water can trigger thermogenesis (the production of heat in the body), thus enhancing weight loss. In one study, 50 overweight girls were instructed to drink about 16 ounces of water three times a day for eight weeks. By the end of the study, the girls not only lost weight, they also had a better body mass index (BMI) and improved body composition. Similar findings were reported in adult women who increased their water intake while dieting.
How much water do you need?
According to the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, men should be consuming approximately 125 ounces every day and women should be consuming 91 ounces. If you live in a hot climate or are very physically active, you will likely need to increase your intake. While these recommendations may seem excessive, keep in mind that these amounts include water intake from all sources, including foods.