In a surprising revelation, researchers from a healthcare organization called Kaiser Permanente based in California have discovered that women over the age of 50 who regularly supplement their diet with calcium not only reduce the risk of osteoporosis but are also less likely to gain weight.
The study, which has been published in the Archives of Internal Medicine journal, claims that calcium’s influence in reducing weight gain is linked to its ability to break down fat cells and increase the production of leptin.
Researchers studied 36,282 women who were in the age group of 50 to 79 and well past the menopausal phase. Some of the women in this group were given daily supplements of calcium amounting to around 1,000mg as well as adequate Vitamin D while others were given a placebo during this period. Scientists monitored their weight annually for seven years. It was found that all those who had been on a daily diet of calcium and Vitamin D were on an average, 0.28 pounds lighter than those who had been given a dummy pill. The effect of calcium was markedly more pronounced on those who had previously been leading a diet deficient on calcium with these women weighing on an average 0.42 pounds lesser.
Nutritionists from the study now recommend that older women significantly enhance their calcium intake, noting that it might very well be the key to reducing obesity among post-menopausal women:
Because weight loss or prevention of weight gain is likely to have significant health benefits for middle-aged women, early to middle menopause may be a critical period of life in which to slow the trajectory of weight gain.
Via: Daily Mail