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By Denise Mann, Health.com-CNN

Forget diet pills and cleanses. A new study suggests that an effective weight-loss aid is available straight from your kitchen sink.

Drinking two 8-ounce glasses of water before breakfast, lunch, and dinner while also cutting back on portions may help you lose weight and keep it off for at least a year, according to research presented today at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society, in Boston.

“As part of a prudent, low-calorie weight-loss diet, adding water may help with weight-loss success,” says Brenda Davy, Ph.D., the lead author of the study and an associate professor of nutrition at Virginia Tech, in Blacksburg.

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Dietitians have long recommended drinking water as a way to shed pounds, but little research has been done to confirm this conventional wisdom, the researchers say. Though small, Davy’s study is the first randomized controlled trial to examine the benefits of “preloading” with water before meals.

The study included 48 overweight or obese men and women between the ages of 55 and 75 who were on a low-calorie diet (1,200 calories per day for women and 1,500 calories per day for men). Half of the people were instructed to drink 16 ounces of water — the amount in a small bottle of spring water — before meals.

After three months, the participants who drank water had lost an average of about 15.5 pounds, compared with just 11 pounds in the control group, according to the study, the first results of which were published earlier this year in the journal Obesity.

And the weight loss appears to be lasting, new data suggest. After a full year of the same regimen, the water drinkers had slimmed down by an additional 1.5 pounds, on average, while those who didn’t load up on water before meals gained about 2 pounds, Davy says. (Unlike the data published in Obesity, the findings presented today have not been thoroughly vetted by other experts in the field, as is required by most medical journals.)

Davy and her colleagues aren’t sure why drinking water before meals encourages weight loss, but the main reason appears to be that it helps fill your stomach, making you less hungry and less likely to overeat.

To read more, visit: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/08/23/drink.water.lose.weight/index.html?npt=NP1

The Advertiser-News

With temperatures expected to reach nearly 100 this week, the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services urges residents to take steps to avoid heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

“Heat stroke is a life-threatening condition and heat exhaustion can also require hospital care,” said Health and Senior Services Commissioner Dr. Poonam Alaigh. “When the weather turns extremely hot and humid, it’s vital to drink plenty of fluids, spend time in cool places and reduce or reschedule any physical activity. And please remember to check on elderly family members and neighbors to make sure they are safe.”

Prolonged heat and humidity can present a serious health hazard, especially for young children, the elderly and persons taking certain medications.

To avoid health complications from excessive heat:

Drink plenty of water or other non-alcoholic beverages.

Make sure children and the elderly are drinking water, and ensure that persons with mobility problems have adequate fluids in easy reach.

If you do not have air conditioning, spend time in air-conditioned places such as libraries, movies, malls or other public buildings during the hottest hours of the day. Check with your municipality to see if cooling centers are available.

Wear loose and light-colored clothing. Wear a hat when outdoors.

Avoid any outdoor activity during the hottest hours of the day. Reduce physical activity or reschedule it for cooler times of the day.

Don’t leave children, a frail elderly or disabled person, or pets in an enclosed car — not even for a minute — as temperatures can quickly climb to dangerous levels.

Talk to your health care provider about any medicine or drugs you are taking. Certain medications — such as tranquilizers and drugs used to treat Parkinson’s disease — can increase the risk of heat-related illness.

To read now, visit: http://www.strausnews.com/articles/2010/07/08/advertiser_news/news/38.txt