Researchers reported that offering water in school cafeterias has been apparently promoting weight loss with kids preferring it over milk and other drinks.

In schools providing so-called water jets, with chill and oxygenated water, the chances of boys being overweight were 0.9% less in comparison to boys in schools without water jets. The New York University researchers found that in the case of girls, water jets were associated with a 0.6% reduced chances of overweight.

Lead researcher Brian Elbel, an associate professor of population health and health policy at NYU School of Medicine in New York City said, “This is a small effect, but we are looking for anything that might be working for childhood obesity, and this is a low-cost intervention”.

According to Elbel, the modest decrease in weight is the outcome of children choosing water over other drinks, like milk or sugary sodas or juices they probably bring from home. He said that if you are drinking water, it means you aren’t drinking anything else that is packed with more calories.

Elbel mentioned that the finding has just shown a relation between water availability and weight loss, clarifying that it doesn’t firmly indicate that existence of water jets in school cafeterias caused kids to lose weight.

Elbel added that prior to the installation of water jets, water wasn’t readily available in the cafeterias of New York City schools He said that when water was available on the serving line and easily accessible then kids drank more water.

Furthermore he said that this school experience might translate to the home. He suggested that easy availability of water at home as a substitute may also help kids shed some pounds. He added that a slight change at home may have a huge impact.