| A two year study
undertaken at Purdue University revealed a strong link to calcium intake and lower levels
of body fat. And women who consume calcium from dairy products, or who consume at least
1,000 milligrams per day, may benefit most. Our study is the first to show that,
when overall calorie consumption is accounted for, calcium not only helps keep weight in
check, but can be associated specifically with decreases in body fat," says
Dorothy Teegarden, assistant professor of foods and nutrition at Purdue.
The researchers found that the women who daily consumed less than 1,900 calories and at
least 780 milligrams of calcium either had no increase in body fat or lost body fat mass
over the two-year period. The women who consumed less than 1,900 calories but who averaged
less than 780 milligrams of calcium gained body fat mass over the same period.
"Women who consumed an average of 1,000 milligrams of calcium per day, which
is slightly below the recommended daily allowance for this age group, showed an overall
decrease in body weight as high as six to seven pounds," Teegarden says.
The researchers found that exercisers and nonexercisers benefited equally from high
calcium intakes, but that women who consumed more than 1,900 calories per day did not
benefit from the higher calcium levels.
"There appears to be some sort of interaction with higher-calorie diets,"
Teegarden says. "When we looked at the data for the women with calorie intakes of
more than 1,900, we found that the calories take over, and any potential benefits of
weight-control from calcium are lost."
The study also found that women who got their calcium from dairy sources, such as milk,
yogurt and cheese, showed more of the fat control benefits than did those who primarily
used nondairy sources -- such as dark green leafy vegetables, nuts and beans -- or calcium
supplements.
"This difference may be attributed to the fact that women who use nondairy
sources would have to eat significant amounts of those foods to produce the effect, or it
may suggest that there is something in milk that works to help regulate body weight,"
Teegarden says.
Teegarden believes that if these findings are confirmed, it may prompt higher
recommendations in calcium consumption, especially from dairy sources, to prevent
increases in body weight and body fat in young women.
ABSTRACT
Calcium Intake Relates to Change in Body Weight in Young Women
D. Teegarden, Y-C Lin, C. M. Weaver, R. M. Lyle, and G. P. McCabe
The relation of diet variables to 2-year changes in body composition in young females
was investigated in a prospective study. Subjects were 56 Caucasian females, 18 - 31 years
(mean 26.9 +/- 3.4 yr.) who were within normal weight range (mean 62.7 +/- 10.5 kg.)
Dietary intake was assessed by 3-day diet records, and body composition was measured by
DXA. Percent change in body weight ranged from -13.9% to 21.4% in two years. Linear
regression analyses showed that percent change in body fat accounted for 68.5% of the
variation of change in body weight, and change in lean mass only explained 15.0% of the
variation. Calcium intake, corrected by total energy intake, significantly predicted
change in body weight (p<0.01) and body fat (p=0.02) such that subjects with high
calcium intake, corrected by total energy intake, gained less weight and body fat.
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