Dairy Products and Weight Loss

Weight Loss and Dairy Products

Drinking three cups of milk a day is a good way to consume the calcium you need for strong bones and teeth. New research indicates consumption of dairy products may aid in weight loss.

Researchers at the University of Tennessee recently studied the role of dairy foods in weight loss among a group of 32 obese adults over 24 weeks. Participants were divided into three different treatment groups:

• Low-calcium, low-dairy eating plan

• High-calcium supplement coupled with a low-dairy plan

• High-dairy eating plan.

Each eating plan was designed to reduce the amount of calories each volunteer consumed per day by about 500. In addition, all participants received consultation from a registered dietitian, maintained a food diary and monitored their physical activity. The study found that the participants who followed the high-dairy eating plan lost more weight and body fat than the other two groups. Why? The researchers say calcium and protein in dairy foods may improve metabolism and burn body fat.

As always, remember that no one study should form the basis for overhauling your eating plan. More research is needed to fully understand the results of this study.