Milk to lose weight?
Milk and weight: conflicting studies
Does milk play a role in weight loss? Studies have shown that calcium, and perhaps more particularly calcium in conjunction with other components of dairy products, plays an important role in weight regulation1,2. However, the mechanisms involved are not well understood. In addition, the importance of calcium or dairy products, compared to other factors (diet, exercise, psychological factors, heredity, etc.) is not clearly established.
Calcium consumption would only explain the variability in weight in a proportion of about 3%3, according to a study. The researchers point out that it is very important to remember that weight control is multifactorial.
That said, several studies have observed relationships between consumption of dairy products and weight. But their conclusions are sometimes contradictory. Thus, some studies associate a high consumption of dairy products with a lower body weight.1,4-10 .
Others go in the opposite direction2,11. A recent study has shown that a diet providing more than 800 mg of calcium per day from dairy products had no effect on weight loss12. Another search13 involving nearly 13 American adolescents found that those who consumed more than three servings of milk per day (whether whole or skimmed) had gained, over a period of three years, significantly more weight than the others. . But it was also found that they also tend to consume more calories in general, and that this is probably the most determining factor in their weight gain.
Note that a low calcium intake is generally the marker of a deficient diet in general3.
This once again illustrates the danger of trying to isolate just one factor to explain the excess weight. Thus, as Dr Claude Roy, gastroenterologist and professor emeritus at the University of Montreal, within the framework of the symposium Food on the move: to grow healthily, milk and low-fat dairy products can prevent obesity in adolescents when they are consumed within a diet rich in fruits and vegetables14.
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An expert’s point of view
Angelo Tremblay obesity specialist and holder of the Canada Research Chair in physical activity, nutrition and energy balance at theLaval University.
The role of dairy products in weight control “To lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, there is no one quick fix or one single intervention that would achieve it. To prevent weight gain, one must adopt a lifestyle that maintains a stable calorie balance. It is therefore necessary to have a diet that does not store more calories than one expends. It also includes a thousand and one little things like getting enough sleep, not being too stressed out, getting regular physical exercise, eating foods that fill you up, not lacking in calcium or dairy products, and ideally having had a mom who did not smoke and have been fed adequately at a young age. Having said that, getting adequate calcium is very important for overall health. It is one of the elements that can help achieve or maintain a healthy weight. It also seems that dairy calcium has a more marked effect on weight loss than calcium taken as a supplement, but it is not clear why. “
Dairy products and weight loss “It depends on the individuals. If you already have enough calcium, it seems that adding more will have very little effect. On the other hand, a very low intake of calcium – in the order of less than 600 mg per day – is clearly a factor that can contribute to being overweight. If you are on a weight loss diet, and you are a low calcium consumer, increasing your calcium intake can have a very significant effect. In a study we just completed, we put obese people who consumed less than 600 mg of calcium per day on a weight loss diet. Some were given a calcium supplement, others a placebo. People supplemented lost five times more weight than others (5,7 kg against 1,1 kg). We also experimented with people who initially consumed 700 mg of calcium. In their case, calcium supplementation had a much less effect. “
The minimum calcium threshold to prevent overweight “It is difficult to give a precise figure. In light of the current data, I think, however, that in order to gain weight from a lack of calcium, it has to be really, really bad. On the other hand, as confirmed by a recent study12, beyond 800 mg per day, there no longer seems to be a significant effect. In addition, the survey of Quebec families15 found that women who consumed less than 600 mg of calcium per day were the fullest, but those who consumed either 600 mg to 1000 mg or more than 1000 mg had the same percentage of fat. “
To find out more, read Better understanding obesity, an interview with Angelo Tremblay. |