Calcium Aids Weight Loss

A 2003 study showed subjects who consumed three servings of light yogurt daily as part of a reduced-calorie diet lost about 20 percent more weight than those who cut calories alone.

The yogurt-eaters consumed around 1,100 mg of calcium daily. The non-yogurt eaters consumed about 500 mg of calcium a day. All of the study subjects followed an individualized diet plan that provided 500 fewer calories than they normally consumed. The yogurt-eaters lost 22 percent more weight, 61 percent more body fat; and 81 percent more stomach fat than the non-yogurt-eaters.

In addition to weight loss, the yogurt eaters experienced an added benefit.

The yogurt-eaters were about twice as effective at maintaining lean muscle mass. This is a critical issue when dieting -- you want to lose fat, not muscle. Muscle helps burn calories, but it is often compromised during weight loss.

Also of note is where the yogurt-eaters lost the most fat. They lost 8 percent more stomach fat than their counterparts. Abdominal fat is more dangerous than fat concentrated in other areas of the body. Obese individuals who carry most of their weight at the stomach are at a greater risk of developing serious health conditions. The 1,100 mg of calcium helped the yogurt eaters trim an average of one inch from their waistlines, they also experienced a six-fold greater decrease in waist circumference.

It appears that getting enough calcium may trigger the body to burn fat more efficiently and could even reduce the amount of new fat produced. A diet low in calcium stimulates the production of fat-producing enzymes that break down fat.

Douglas Adams is the owner of All Wellbeing.com A website dedicated to increasing knowledge of health related issues.