Scientists in America have suggested that increased consumption of food containing
calcium may provide more benefits than just helping to strengthen people’s bones.
It is now being suggested that increased calcium intake can help with weight
loss.
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Connie Weaver of Purdue University told delegates at the Tropicana-organised
From Grove to Glass – Nutrition for the 21st Century conference in Florida that
a study carried out by her Food and Nutrition Department had shown a correlation
between calcium intake and body weight. This assumes however that people are
eating at or below the mean calorie level associated with maintaining a steady
weight. Trying to counterbalance the effects of overeating by simply raising
calcium levels will not work, Dr Weaver said.
The result was the by-product of a two-year examination of 18-31 year-old-women
which set out to measure the relationship between bone density and calcium intake.
Dr Weaver said that when the body weight statistic first appeared she hoped
it would "go away." However, further examination and experiments from
different researchers suggested the validity of the observation.
Dr Weaver added that it is not yet possible to identify whether dairy calcium
is solely responsible or whether calcium from other foods and supplements also
contributes. However, she noted that most calcium tends to be consumed from
dairy sources.
The conclusion that calcium on its own is not enough to provide weight loss,
and needs to be consumed as part of a sensible overall diet, was in keeping
with the conference as a whole. Researchers outlined in detail the suitable
balance required in an everyday diet to gain maximum nutritional benefit from
food, while saying there was no one "magic bullet" which people could
eat to solve all their health problems.
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By GlobalData While it may not be headline-grabbing, delegates were told that variety, balance
and moderation are the keys to eating for health, rather than following the
latest spectacular claims. Nevertheless, it was also pointed out that eating
the right kinds of food in the right quantities can go a long way towards helping
to prevent a number of common diseases.
By Hugh Westbrook, just-food.com correspondent
