Foods for Weight Control?
so many people gaining weight and trying to lose it, often unsuccessfully
most of us welcome pointers based on solid research. These,
unfortunately, are few and far between. So it's good news that
a group of common healthful foods with large amounts of one
essential mineral may help people lose weight or keep them from
gaining it. The foods are milk, yogurt, and other dairy products,
and the mineral is calcium. This research is only preliminary,
but the news is promising.
years evidence has been mounting that eating calcium-rich foods
helps control or reduce weight, as shown by animal and human
studies. For example, researchers at Purdue University studying
young normal-weight women found that, over a two-year period,
those with a high calcium intake from dairy products gained
less weight and body fat than those consuming less calcium.
Reviewing five clinical studies, the calcium expert Dr. Robert
Heaney and his colleagues at Creighton University in Omaha concluded
that having a low calcium intake over the long term more than
doubles the risk of a young woman being overweight. In another
review, Dr. Michael Zemel, professor of nutrition at the University
of Tennessee, found that dietary calcium especially from dairy
products plays an important role in how energy is regulated
in the body and thus may influence weight control.
has several benefits notably it keeps bones strong and helps
control blood pressure. Low-fat and nonfat dairy products are
an essential part of the DASH
diet, designed to lower blood pressure. As for weight control,
there are some complicated biochemical theories about how calcium
may affect body weight. It may aid in the breakdown of body
fat, for instance, or cause fat cells to make less fat.
a review in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded
that research has so far been encouraging, and that it is time
for a large, well-designed study on whether calcium really can
help with weight loss. Also, must the calcium come from dairy
products? According to Dr. Zemel, calcium from supplements or
from other calcium-rich foods, such as dark greens, would also
have an effect. But calcium from dairy products seems to work
best. Other substances in milk (such as magnesium and boron)
may play a synergistic role with the calcium.
this: The key to weight loss and weight control is,
as always, consuming fewer calories than you burn. Calcium by
itself will not make you lose weight. But if you are trying
to lose weight, don't drop dairy foods from your daily fare.
Just choose low-fat or nonfat products. You may lose weight
faster if you keep your calcium intake high.
you are under 50, you should be getting 1,000 milligrams of
calcium daily from food and/or supplements; if you are a woman
over 50 or a man over 65, aim for 1,200 to 1,500 milligrams.
This will help your bones and may help your blood pressure.
If it also helps with weight control, so much the better.
Reference Source 98