Calcium and weight loss
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Calcium’s role in helping us grow and maintain strong healthy bones is well known, but what about its role in weight control? Online personal trainer Andrew Cate investigates.
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The research
Recent research has shed new light on the role that calcium plays in controlling your weight. A study published in the journal Nutrition and Metabolism suggested that postmenopausal women taking calcium supplements gained significantly less trunk (torso) fat, and maintained their lean trunk mass to a greater extent than women taking a placebo.
The calcium may have had a beneficial effect on body composition. Another interesting fact about this study was that the average calcium intake of the women before supplementation was not low (over 1,000 mg per day).
Did you know? Research has shown that a high calcium intake can have a beneficial effect on body composition, helping postmenopausal subjects to gain significantly less trunk fat over 4 years compared to those taking a placebo.
How does calcium influence your body shape?
While research has established that there is a link between high calcium intake and weight control, the specifics of exactly how calcium does this are less clear. More research is needed to establish a clear understanding of the mechanisms. However, some of the present theories as to how calcium helps control weight include the following:
Sufficient calcium intake may reduce the appetite. It’s thought that when a lack of calcium is detected by the brain, it may try to compensate by increasing your desire to eat.
Another theory is that calcium may help with weight control by increasing fat excretion in the faeces.
Lifestyle tips for increasing your calcium intake
Some dieters cut back on calcium-rich dairy foods because of concerns about fat intake, but low-fat dairy foods are still a very good source of calcium. According to the National Health and Medical Research Council, a typical adult should aim for approximately 1000 mg of calcium per day, although older people, and pregnant or breastfeeding women need 1300 mg. Following are some ways increase your calcium intake and absorption every day:
- Choose at least 2-3 servings of low fat dairy foods each day such as milk, cheese or yogurt.
- Spread your calcium sources evenly throughout the day, instead of all at once
- Include other good sources of calcium in your diet, such as almonds, legumes, dried figs, eggs and soft fish bones like those in canned sardines and salmon.
- Avoid large amounts of protein and salt which increase the excretion of calcium.
- Calcium is also available in supplement form, and is best consumed with meals to aidsorption.
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