Calcium Intake Related to Weight Loss

MINNEAPOLIS--Calcium intake may help regulate body weight, and higher intakes may be necessary during weight loss programs to maintain bone mass, according to new research released this week. The first study, conducted at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, examined the association between calcium intake and adiposity in black and white men and women participating in the HERITAGE Family Study (J Nutr, 134:1772-8, 2004) (www.nutrition.org). A total of 362 men and 462 women were divided into groups based on energy-adjusted calcium intake; the strongest inverse associations appeared in black men and white women. In both men's groups, those with the highest calcium intake were significantly leaner than those in the lowest intake group. And in white women, there was a significant inverse association between calcium intake and BMI, percentage body fat and abdominal fat levels.

In the second study, conducted at Rutgers University, Brunswick, N.J., researchers recruited 73 women to consume a weight loss or a weight maintenance diet, with either normal or high calcium intake (Am J Clin Nutr, 80, 1:123-30, 2004) (www.ajcn.org). Of the 57 women who completed the study, those on the weight loss diet taking in only normal calcium intake showed inadequate absorption of calcium, which may impact bone mass. The researchers suggested weight loss programs are associated with increased calcium requirements to maintain bone mass.