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| Friday, March 13, 2009 |
| Calcium and Weight Loss |
The association between calcium and weight loss has been studied for years. A recent study published in the British Journal of Nutrition reports a link between calcium supplementation and weight loss in women whose diets are calcium deficient.
Sixty-three (overweight or obese) women with a reported daily calcium intake of < style="font-style: italic;">"Our hypothesis is that the brain can detect the lack of calcium and seeks to compensate by spurring food intake, which obviously works against the goals of any weight loss program," said Angelo Tremblay, lead researcher and holder of the Canada Research Chair in Environment and Energy Balance. "Sufficient calcium intake seems to stifle the desire to eat more, " he added. So basically the researchers are stating that when calcium supplements were given to a person with a previously low calcium intake, the calcium helped to control appetite and fat intake, therefore promoting weight loss.
According to an article in Science Daily, Professor Tremblay's team also did research in 2003 that found "women who consume diets poor in calcium had more body fat, bigger waistlines, and higher bad cholesterol levels than those who consumed moderate or large amounts of calcium" and "a second study showed that the more people reduced their consumption of dairy products over the six-year period examined, the more weight and body fat they gained and the bigger their waistlines grew."
What can we make of all this? Is the additional weight loss directly related to the increased calcium intake or is it possible that these women lost more weight because of an overall improvement in their diet? I'm afraid the jury is still out on the subject. But what I do know for sure is that calcium and vitamin D are an important part of a healthy diet. If calcium does in fact help promote weight loss that's great, because we need to get adequate amounts to promote healthy teeth and bones, so its a win, win! Just another reason to eat a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, lean meats, poultry, fish and low-fat dairy!
To ready more about calcium and find out how much you should have in your diet click here.
-Lauren
Labels: healthy eating, Lauren, Weight Loss
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posted by My Sensei @ Friday, March 13, 2009   |
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