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Does Warm Water Burn Fat? Here’s The Truth 2024

Updated on - Written by
Medically reviewed by Dr G. Michael DiLeo, MD

does warm water burn fat
Drinking water before meals make you feel full and lower calorie intake, thus helping you lose weight. Photo: Shutterstock & Team Design

Obesity is one of the leading public health crises the world is facing right now. The majority of us are always on the lookout for better ways and more efficient ways to burn fat. There is always some new fad diet being pushed, touted as superior when it comes to weight loss. 

With so many diets and so many concepts nowadays, reducing body fat can seem a bit confusing, but don’t worry! Something as simple as warm water may be able to help you lose that vacation weight you have been carrying around for the past two months. 

Does Drinking Hot Water Help You Lose Weight?

Drinking warm water has shown mixed results. However, drinking water before meals itself has been shown to help reduce weight and improve the efficiency of your weight loss strategy.

Let’s dive into the effect of warm water on weight loss, based on the concept and evidence.

The Concept Of Warm Water Burn Fat

Drinking warm water usually helps us lose weight faster. The hypothesis behind this is relatively simple. Warm water raises the body temperature which raises the body’s metabolic rate (energy expenditure of the body when we are resting), which in turn increases the total amount of calories we burn in a day. 

But there is a catch. We sincerely doubt that drinking hot water will matter if the person is not consuming a reduced-calorie diet (even one with a mild to moderate deficit), as far as weight loss and burning fat are concerned.

Water intake moderates the neurotransmitters and hormones that activate our sympathetic system[1] that modulate the “fight-or-flight” response. Our energy expenditure at rest is naturally raised when our sympathetic system is activated.

What Does The Evidence Say?

A 2003 study[2], often cited, shows that drinking about a half liter of hot water increases our basal metabolic rate[3] to the tune of 30%! A more recent evaluation[4] (2021) agreed. 

This increase in basal metabolic rate started about ten minutes after drinking the warm water and peaked 40 mins after drinking the water. The amount of total energy consumed was about 100 KJ. This is known as a thermogenic effect. About 40% of this response was mediated by warming the water to that of body temperature (37℃).

In men, this additional energy was burned by using lipids, whereas carbohydrates proved to be the fuel of choice for this afterburn in females. Certain medications such as beta blockers can block this advantageous effect of warm water. The authors of this study recommended drinking up to 2 liters of warm water to burn an additional 400 KJ!

However, it is important to mention that the author of the aforementioned study, in an attempt to repeat and verify his results one year later, found a 24% increase in basal metabolic rate when half a liter of water was given to his overweight test subjects. 

The people included in this study had a sedentary lifestyle and were barred from doing strenuous physical activity 48 hours before the test to remove any secondary reason for the increased energy expenditure at rest.

Another study[5] showed different results and showed no increase in energy expenditure following the ingestion of distilled water. The results could have differed due to the difference in methodology. 

A nursing school in India conducted an experiment where they observed weight loss of up to 4 kgs due to drinking warm water with a small quantity of lemon juice in it.

Satiety

Water, warm or otherwise, has a filling effect, especially when taken before meals. This effect reduced overall food consumption and hence promoted weight loss. 

Drinking around 500 ml of warmed water before meals helps us to lose more weight when it is consumed in conjunction with a calorie-restricted diet. 

People who drank warm water before meals lost an average of 2 kg more than those who did not, in conjunction with 12 weeks of a calorie-restricted(hypocaloric) diet.

Hot Water Drinks To Lose Weight 

What is the optimum temperature for drinking warm water for burning fat? It turns out the scientific community has done the research for that as well. 

While the medical literature doesn’t have much information on which temperatures are the best for weight loss, temperature affects the appetizing nature[6] of a fluid such that it will increase voluntary intake important for compliance with a hot water intake strategy.

Sipping plain warm water can get a bit boring over time so here are a few ways you can increase your warm water intake:

Lemon Water

Having a bit of warm water with a little lemon juice squeezed into it first thing in the morning can not only be soothing for your taste buds, but it is also quite refreshing. 

In addition to the aforementioned benefit of losing weight more efficiently, there is also the benefit of getting in your vitamin C requirements for the day (lemons are a rich source of vitamin C). 

Vitamin C is needed by the body for a multitude of functions, including growth, wound healing, immunity, and iron absorption. 

Vitamin C is an antioxidant[7] and has been known to protect cognition[8] and memory in the elderly at risk of dementia. There are also unproven claims vitamin C helps to prevent against common cold and reduce the risk of cancer.

Green Tea

Warm water can also be consumed in the form of green herbal tea. Green tea preparations contain caffeine and catechins[9] which are by themselves agents that increase the metabolic rate and help overweight individuals to lose weight.

Green tea contains catechins and caffeine[10] that help modulate weight and can be an effective addition to your weight loss plan; they can also help you maintain weight once you hit your target.

Replacement for Sugary Drinks

Warm water can be used as a replacement for sugary drinks that are consumed with meals or by themselves. Studies[11] show a marked effect on weight loss when sugary drinks are replaced by water.

Do the math: 140-150 calories per cola, 2/day = 110,000 extra calories a year (or over 30 lb).

As we discussed earlier, water tends to induce satiety whereas sugary drinks are known to affect insulin levels and cause cravings[12], leading to exponentially greater calorie intake in addition to the calories already ingested in the sugary drinks.

Coffee

You can also drink warm water in the form of coffee. Lactating and breastfeeding mothers should be careful though. If one drinks large amounts of coffee it can be secreted in breast milk and be delivered to the baby unintentionally. (However, it’s the same with sugary drinks!)

Other Health Benefits of Drinking Warm Water

Losing a few extra pounds isn’t the only benefit of drinking warm water regularly. There are also multiple other benefits:

Soothes Common Cold

Have a common cold? Is a runny nose making you irritable? Try drinking warm water. A study shows that a hot drink provided immediate relief from all the symptoms of flu[13] including runny nose, sore throat, etc.

A hot drink like warm water also subjectively improves airflow in a patient with the common cold. No objective difference has been in airflow has been reported. To the person, however, comfortable breathing improves mood, attitude, and productivity.

Relaxes the Digestive Track

The gastrointestinal (digestive) tract is essentially a big series of smooth muscles. Warm water tends to relax smooth muscles and relieve spasms.

Postoperative ileus (temporary paralysis of the intestines after surgery) is a concern and warm liquids are used to address it for speedier recovery after surgery. 

A study was done in 2016[14] which showed that patients who had abdominal surgery (removal of the gall bladder by laparoscopic surgery) responded better to warm water. Those drinking warm water had reduced time to first flatus and overall improved gastric tract movements.

Better Absorption of Paracetamol

Have a headache? Go ahead and take the paracetamol[15] your doctor advised with warm water. Chances are you will feel the effects of paracetamol faster than you did when you took it with cold water. 

Paracetamol dissolves better[16] in warm water as compared to cold water. Since tablets that dissolve fast exit the stomach more quickly and since the majority of paracetamol absorption is done in the small intestine, warm water speeds up the effects of paracetamol.

Furthermore, paracetamol with or in a hot drink enters the bloodstream more quickly as compared to when ingested as a tablet. This means that it can do its action quicker. Hence, if you have a killer headache you want to get rid of immediately, better keep that paracetamol sachet cup of hot water handy.

The Bottom Line

Hot water is a great replacement for all the fizzy drinks and all sugary beverages that have become a regular addition to your meals. It is also a soothing addition to your morning workout routine.

By itself, there is mixed evidence to suggest that hot water alone raises the metabolic rate and burns calories, but it does induce satiety, which reduces the amount of food we eat. Warm water should be a part of your weight loss strategy.

So, dear reader, keep a bottle of warm water around and have a sip now and then!


+ 16 sources

Health Canal avoids using tertiary references. We have strict sourcing guidelines and rely on peer-reviewed studies, academic researches from medical associations and institutions. To ensure the accuracy of articles in Health Canal, you can read more about the editorial process here

  1. EM;Greenwood, S. (2022). Water ingestion increases sympathetic vasoconstrictor discharge in normal human subjects. Clinical science (London, England : 1979), [online] 100(3). Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11222121/ [Accessed 27 Jul. 2023].
  2. ‌Boschmann, M., Steiniger, J., Hille, U., Tank, J., Adams, F., Sharma, A.M., Klaus, Luft, F.C. and Jordan, J. (2003). Water-Induced Thermogenesis. [online] 88(12), pp.6015–6019. doi:https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2003-030780.
  3. ‌Mendelson, S.D. (2008). FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO METABOLIC SYNDROME. [online] doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-012374240-7.50004-8.
  4. ‌Nveo.org. (2023). View of An Evaluation Of The Effect Of Hot Water Intake On Physiological Changes In The Body. [online] Available at: https://www.nveo.org/index.php/journal/article/view/4013/3306 [Accessed 27 Jul. 2023].
  5. ‌Boschmann, M., Steiniger, J., Hille, U., Tank, J., Adams, F., Sharma, A.M., Klaus, Luft, F.C. and Jordan, J. (2003). Water-Induced Thermogenesis. [online] 88(12), pp.6015–6019. doi:https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2003-030780.
  6. ‌Belval, L.N., Hosokawa, Y., Casa, D.J., Adams, W.M., Armstrong, L.E., Baker, L.B., Burke, L.M., Cheuvront, S.N., Chiampas, G., José González-Alonso, Huggins, R.A., Kavouras, S.A., Lee, E.C., McDermott, B.P., Miller, K., Schlader, Z.J., Sims, S.T., Stearns, R.L., Troyanos, C. and Wingo, J.E. (2019). Practical Hydration Solutions for Sports. [online] 11(7), pp.1550–1550. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11071550.
  7. ‌Nikolaj Travica, Ried, K., Sali, A., Hudson, I.L., Scholey, A. and Pipingas, A. (2019). Plasma Vitamin C Concentrations and Cognitive Function: A Cross-Sectional Study. [online] 11. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2019.00072.
  8. ‌KA; (2015). Antioxidant intake and cognitive function of elderly men and women: the Cache County Study. The journal of nutrition, health & aging, [online] 11(3). Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17508099/ [Accessed 27 Jul. 2023].
  9. Yang, H.-Y., Yang, S.-C., Jane C.J. Chao and Chen, J.-R. (2011). Beneficial effects of catechin-rich green tea and inulin on the body composition of overweight adults. [online] 107(5), pp.749–754. doi:https://doi.org/10.1017/s0007114511005095.
  10. ‌Hursel, R., Wolfgang Viechtbauer and Westerterp-Plantenga, M.S. (2009). The effects of green tea on weight loss and weight maintenance: a meta-analysis. [online] 33(9), pp.956–961. doi:https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2009.135.
  11. ‌Tate, D.F., Turner-McGrievy, G., Lyons, E., Stevens, J., Erickson, K.A., Polzien, K., Diamond, M., Xiao Shan Wang and Popkin, B.M. (2012). Replacing caloric beverages with water or diet beverages for weight loss in adults: main results of theChooseHealthyOptionsConsciouslyEveryday (CHOICE) randomized clinical trial. [online] 95(3), pp.555–563. doi:https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.111.026278.
  12. ‌Falbe, J., Thompson, H., Patel, A.I. and Madsen, K.A. (2019). Potentially addictive properties of sugar-sweetened beverages among adolescents. [online] 133, pp.130–137. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2018.10.032.
  13. ‌Sanu A;Eccles R (2022). The effects of a hot drink on nasal airflow and symptoms of common cold and flu. Rhinology, [online] 46(4). Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19145994/ [Accessed 27 Jul. 2023].
  14. ‌Nefise Çalişkan, Hülya Bulut and Konan, A. (2016). The Effect of Warm Water Intake on Bowel Movements in the Early Postoperative Stage of Patients Having Undergone Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy. [online] 39(5), pp.340–347. doi:https://doi.org/10.1097/sga.0000000000000181.
  15. ‌NHS Choices (2023). Paracetamol for adults – Brand names: Disprol, Hedex, Medinol, Panadol. [online] Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/paracetamol-for-adults/ [Accessed 27 Jul. 2023].
  16. ‌Lee Ann Hodges, Hughes, A., Targett, D. and Durcan, M.J. (2014). Does a Hot Drink Provide Faster Absorption of Paracetamol Than a Tablet? A Pharmacoscintigraphic Study in Healthy Male Volunteers. [online] 31(8), pp.2078–2085. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s11095-014-1309-3.

Medically reviewed by:

Michael DiLeo

Haroon is a licensed medical doctor who did his MD from the prestigious National University of Medical Sciences in Islamabad, Pakistan. He graduated with flying colors and has clinical experience spanning the better part of the decade. In addition to seeing patients in his clinic, he also enjoys writing about health and fitness.

Medically reviewed by:

Michael DiLeo

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