A new 'diet' water to help you lose weight
WLR's dietitian reviews a new product, Skinny Water, which
claims to contain a combination of ingredients to help you lose
weight.
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A New ‘Diet’ Water to help
you lose weight
By WLR Dietitian
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First we had Diet Coke. Now, we’ve
got Skinny Water – and yes, you did read that right!
Despite the fact that regular water is completely calorie-free,
Bio Synergy has launched a ‘low-calorie’ bottled water that claims
to contain a unique combination of ingredients to help you lose
weight.
The two magic ingredients are
chromium and L-carnitine.
Chromium has been added on the basis
that some studies have shown it helps regulate blood sugar levels
and therefore curbs cravings.
L-carnitine – a
vitamin-like
ingredient that’s naturally found in meat and dairy products and
is made in the body
protein building from two amino acids (protein building blocks)
– has been included to help turn fat into energy.
Pomegranate juice adds taste and
antioxidants, the latter of which help to protect against free
radical damage. After drinking this wonder water, apparently ‘most
people’ reported that they felt less hungry the next day and had
fewer sugar cravings.
It’s recommended you drink a 500ml
bottle of the water two to four times a day, 30 minutes before a
meal – and of course whenever you feel thirsty! Each 500ml bottle
contains 9 calories (compared to calorie-free tap water) and costs
99p.
WLR says:
Call us cynical, but we’re not
convinced about the benefits of this product with its claims to
help you lose weight.
Chromium is a trace mineral that’s important for processing
carbohydrates and fats and helping the cells respond properly to
insulin – the hormone that controls blood sugar levels. However,
there’s not enough evidence to suggest that chromium is an
effective ingredient for weight loss. It’s the same story for L-carnitine.
There’s simply not enough proof that
boosting intakes will help people to lose weight. Furthermore,
there appear to be no clinical studies carried out to confirm
whether Skinny Water actually works to reduce hunger,
beat
cravings and help people lose weight.
Swapping regular calorie free water for water that contains
calories also seems crazy if you want to lose weight. Okay, 9
calories per bottle may not sound a lot, but drink the recommended
four bottles a day and that adds up to an extra 252 calories in a
week – enough to actually make you gain almost 4lb in a year!
This product can work out expensive.
Four bottles will set you back almost £4 a day – if you really
want to lose weight, you’d be better off spending this money on
doing something active such as an
aerobics class,
dance class or a
swim.
It’s worth remembering that drinking
water in general can help to fill you up and take the edge off
hunger in the short term so that you perhaps eat less overall.
Therefore, the claims that people felt fuller after drinking this
product are probably more to do with upping their fluid intake
than any magic ‘weight loss’ ingredients.
Drinking more water will help most
people to stay hydrated. This is important because when we are
dehydrated we get thirsty and sometimes our bodies confuse thirst
for hunger so that we eat when really our body is crying out for
fluids.
Bottom line: avoid this gimmicky
product and stick to calorie-free tap water and your daily calorie
allowance.
More Information
If you’re tempted to try it, Skinny Water is available in Tesco
and from August 07, and in Superdrug.
You can also order online from
www.skinnywater.co.uk. If you buy online, 5 percent will be
donated to Cancer Research UK. |
