In a communication published this month in the British Journal of Nutrition, researchers from the Université Laval in Quebec report that women with a low intake of calcium who received calcium supplements with the mineral experienced greater reductions in weight and fat mass in response to a weight reducing diet compared with those who received a placebo.
For his study, Angelo Tremblay and his associates enrolled 63 overweight or obese women whose daily calcium intake was reported as 800 milligrams or less. The women were assigned to a 15 week reduced calorie diet which was supplemented twice daily with 600 milligrams elemental calcium plus 5 micrograms vitamin D, or a placebo. Weight, fat mass, resting energy expenditure and spontaneous energy intake were assessed before and after the program.
Although there was no difference at the study’s conclusion between participants who received supplements and those who received a placebo, when the analysis was restricted to those whose calcium intake prior to enrollment was 600 milligrams per day or lower, an increase in weight, fat mass, and fat intake was observed in the calcium group. Women in this group lost an average of nearly 6 kilograms, compared to an average loss of 1 kilogram among those who received a placebo.
The study builds on previous research conducted by the team which found that women whose calcium intake was insufficient had increased body fat, waist circumferences, and LDL cholesterol compared with those whose intake was higher.
"Our hypothesis is that the brain can detect the lack of calcium and seeks to compensate by spurring food intake, which obviously works against the goals of any weight loss program," stated Dr Tremblay, who is the holder of the Canada Research Chair in Environment and Energy Balance. "Sufficient calcium intake seems to stifle the desire to eat more.”
—D Dye
March 11, 2009
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