Eating Dairy for Weight Loss: Does It Help?

Does Eating Calcium Rich Dairy Foods Help With Weight Control?

Oct 27, 2009

Can eating more dairy products really help you lose weight? Find out what a new study shows about eating dairy for weight loss.

Young children are often encouraged to drink milk to grow up healthy and strong. As it turns out, drinking milk may be just as important as an adult - at least when it comes to staying slim. A new study shows that eating more dairy foods such as milk, cheese, and yogurt may make it easier to lose weight.

Eating Dairy for Weight Loss: A Study

In this study which was published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, researchers placed two groups of people on a low calorie diet. One group ate three servings of dairy products such as cheese, yogurt, and milk each day, while the second group ate five servings daily. Otherwise, their diets were similar in terms of nutrition and calories. What was the outcome? At the end of a three month period, the group who ate five servings of dairy each day not only lost more weight and body fat, but also more abdominal fat. Not only that, but they experienced improvement in markers for heart disease and diabetes - suggesting that eating dairy for weight loss may have additional health benefits that go beyond weight control.

Dairy for Weight Loss: Is the Association Real?

This isn't the first study to show an association between dairy products and weight loss. A study published in Obesity Research in 2004 showed a similar correlation between dairy foods and weight loss. It's important to note that studies showing the benefits of eating dairy for weight loss have all been for diets that were lower in calories. Drinking milk and eating dairy products in unlimited quantity is unlikely to cause weight loss and may lead to weight gain since full fat dairy products are relatively high in calories.

Why Does Eating Dairy Help With Weight Loss?

It could be the calcium in dairy products that boosts weight loss. In one study, when a group of obese women were supplemented with 1200 milligrams of calcium each day, they experienced greater weight loss. The theory is that when the body is deficient in calcium, it stimulates the appetite to help compensate for the deficiency in calcium. Some studies have shown that women who eat low calcium diets are more likely to put on weight and body fat. Keep in mind that calcium supplementation may have been effective in these women because they were deficient to begin with, and the same effects may not be seen in people who already get enough calcium in their diet.

Eating Dairy for Weight Loss: The Bottom Line?

Eating dairy for weight loss may be of some benefit for people deficient in calcium, but probably won't be effective unless it's combined with a healthy, lower calorie diet. Keep in mind that many dairy products are high in calories which could hinder weight loss. The best plan may be to eat more low fat dairy products in the context of a calorie controlled diet. Taking calcium supplements may also offer some benefits for those who are deficient in calcium; but it's best to get calcium from natural food sources whenever possible. Some recent studies have questioned the use of calcium supplements after a study showed an increase in risk in heart attack risk in older women who took them. Until this issue is clarified, get calcium from food sources such as dairy products instead of supplements.

The copyright of the article Eating Dairy for Weight Loss: Does It Help? in Weight Loss is owned by Kristie Leong. Permission to republish Eating Dairy for Weight Loss: Does It Help? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.