We've been hearing everywhere basically that calcium will help you lose weight.
Unfortunately that might not be the case, at least for teens. What we thought was happening was that the calcium would help take out some of that pesky fat so it wouldn't be absorbed.
Looks like that wasn't really right:
In the study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, more than 40 overweight teenagers were split into two groups and then randomly assigned to consume 1,300 or 650 milligrams of calcium a day. It either came from calcium supplements or was hidden in foods like frozen chocolate desserts containing milk proteins, fats and minerals (as opposed to whole milk). For three weeks, both groups were placed on the same restricted diet of three meals and two snacks a day. Both groups got normal foods with enough protein, carbohydrates, fat and calories to maintain their weight. After a break, the groups resumed the experiment for another three weeks, with teens assigned to a different calcium intake level for the second stage.
In the end, researchers found no differences in body fat and weight between the two groups, suggesting calcium had little to no effect on weight loss among the teens.
There wasn't even a little indication that it helped. Not even a small one.
Adults are different on the other hand, as the energy levels differ from teens. Also, the short duration and small group of this test might not be enough to be conclusive.
This is not saying that teens don't need milk. On the contrary, they need calcium for their growing bones. They just shouldn't be getting calcium if they expect it as a weight loss tool!
[Image via AP Images.]
Tags: america, body, calorie, calories, chocolate, diet, fat, food, milk, nutrition, overweight, protein, research, researchers, snacks, study, weight, weight loss