Investigation of the evidence linking calcium intake to weight loss is under way in Denmark. Studies from the Institute of Human Nutrition at the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University (KVL) in Copenhagen examine if calcium increases the transport of fat in the intestines and different ways the element affects corpulence.
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Research fellow Janne Kunchel Lorenzen said that the correlation between calcium and weight loss had been demonstrated in a number of studies, but the mechanisms behind the effect remain a mystery.
Calcium appears to bind fat, especially saturated fat, in the intestine and so increase its evacuation from the body.
Lorenzen has now received support from the Danish Dairy Research Foundation to study the effect of calcium in meals. The project will also try to determine how much calcium is needed to produce an effect.
“In our pilot project we only studied the short-term effects of increased calcium intake but if the effects hold over longer periods it indicates that man can lose up to 3.5 kilograms a year by increasing one’s daily calcium intake by 1300mg,” Lorenzen said in a Danish Dairy Board report.
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By GlobalDataLorenzen cautioned that the results do not mean a green light for fat cheeses and cream – calories remain the decisive factor in weight loss.
