Calcium & Vitamin D May Boost Weight Loss

Previous research has suggested a causal relationship between dairy intake and weight reduction.  Danit R. Shahar, from Ben-Gurion University (Israel), and colleagues assessed data collected from 322 men and women, mean age 52 years, with a BMI of 31 kg/m2. Of this initial group, 126 subjects were followed for 6 additional months to track changes in blood level of Vitamin D.  The researchers found that those participants with average calcium intakes of 580 milligrams per day and blood levels of vitamin D of 30.2 nanograms per milliliter lost an average of 5.3 kilograms over a two-year period.  Lower calcium intakes, at 156 milligrams, and blood levels of vitamin D of 14.5 nanograms per milliliter, were associated with an average loss of 3.3 kilograms over two years.   The team concludes that: “Our study suggests that both higher dairy calcium intake and increased serum vitamin D are related to greater diet-induced weight loss.”