Calcium Key to Long-Term Weight Management

PHILADELPHIACarefully managing dietary calcium during the months following a weight loss regimen can help predict weight regain, relative to energy intake, according to a study published in the Journal of Nutrition (2007; 137:2324-2328). Researchers from Drexel University monitored 103 overweight or obese women who had lost weight over a 22-week intervention; at baseline (the end of the weight loss period) and both six and eight months of follow up, they measured dietary calcium and energy intake using the Block 98 food frequency questionnaires and five-day food records.

Changes in dietary calcium or energy intake alone did not predict weight regain; however, at both six and 18 months, greater dietary calcium intake inversely predicted weight regain when controlling for changes in energy intake; likewise, higher energy intake positively predicted weight regain when controlling for changes in dietary calcium intake. The researchers suggested dietary calcium may oppose weight regain, reducing the effect of greater energy intake. Ultimately, they reported controlling for dietary calcium may increase the ability of energy intake to predict weight change.