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Calcium
Helps Girls Keep the Weight Off
Whether calcium comes from dairy products or supplements,
girls who consume the highest levels weigh less than girls
who consume lower levels, a study says.
"Dairy and calcium intake is associated with the level
of fat and weight among adolescent girls," says lead
author Rachel Novotny, a nutritionist at the University
of Hawaii. Similar findings have been found in animals,
adults and in very young children, but this is the first
time it has been found in young girls, she adds. These findings
support the idea that calcium, especially from dairy products,
helps control weight and fat.
Novotny and her colleagues from the University of Hawaii
at Manoa in Honolulu studied 323 girls, aged 9 to 14 years
old. The researchers collected data on what the girls ate
and their amount of physical exercise. They also measured
the girls' weight and the amount of fat just above the hipbone
near the bellybutton. This so-called "skin fold thickness"
measures abdominal fat.
Naturally, the girls who consumed the most calories and
did the least physical exercise weighed more and had more
body fat. However, after Novotny's team looked at calcium
intake, they found that despite differences in calorie intake
and amount of exercise, girls who consumed more calcium
weighed less than girls who consumed less calcium.
In fact, the investigators found that as little as a daily
increase of one cup of milk or a small piece of cheese,
about 300 milligrams of calcium, resulted in one-half inch
less of abdominal fat and as much as two pounds less of
body weight. "I have reason to believe that the same
effect occurs in boys," Novotny says.
Novotny presented her findings on April 13 as part of the
American Society for Nutritional Sciences program at the
Experimental Biology meeting in San Diego.
Over the past several decades, the consumption of dairy
foods in the United States has decreased, Novotny says.
"This may be contributing to our high levels of obesity.
These findings could have a measurable impact on levels
of weight," she adds.
People should be encouraged to add more dairy to their diet,
which will help them control weight throughout their lives,
Novotny says.
"This study presents exciting results that adds to
the previously published literature on the effects of higher
calcium or dairy intake on body composition, particularly
fat mass," says Dorothy Teegarden, a professor of nutrition
at Purdue University.
She adds the result of this study provides further evidence
that higher calcium intake may play an important role in
reducing the growing problem of obesity in the United States,
particularly in children.
However, Dr. Robert P. Heaney, a professor of medicine and
bone expert from Creighton University, cautions that while
high calcium intake can help, "nothing will help you
if you eat too much."
Learn about calcium intake from the Canadian
Pediatric Society or the American
Dietetic Association
Article Source: HealthDay
Article Author: Steven Reinberg
Net Reference 101
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