Can water help prevent obesity?


Chicago Parent Staff


Short stuff: Health roundup
Water fountains and water bottles may be key tools in reducing the risk of childhood obesity.

That’s what researchers found when they added water fountains, distributed water bottles and educated students about the benefits of drinking water in 32 German elementary schools.

Second- and third-grade students were weighed at the start of the school year and asked about their beverage consumption. By the end of the year, students were 31 percent less likely to be overweight.

Researchers aren’t certain exactly how an increase in water consumption impacted the risk of becoming overweight since it did not track food consumption. Still, the research suggests that encouraging water consumption may prevent the most at-risk children from becoming overweight.


