Q:  I always thought that dairy products were high in fat. So, when I was told that dairy foods can actually help you lose fat, I was pretty skeptical. Is it true?

A:  Apparently so. Research carried out by the National Institute of Health (NIH) shows that the dietary calcium that is so abundant in dairy foods actually contributes to fat loss. Some fascinating bodily processes combine to make this possible. Here’s how it works...

One of the functions of calcium is that it acts as a regulator of enzymes, including those that control fat production and breakdown. The calcium present within our cells is known as intracellular calcium. It differs from the calcium in our blood (extracellular calcium). The higher the concentration of intracellular calcium we have, the faster the rate of fat production, or lipogenesis. And the slower the rate of fat breakdown, or lipolysis. Now, interestingly enough, a low level of dietary calcium will actually lead to an increased level of intracellular calcium. The goal then, is to affect the balance of intracellular and extracellular calcium in favor of extracellular, and consuming low fat dairy products is a great way to do it.

Studies out of the University of Tennessee have shown even more promising fat loss potential from dairy calcium. An April, 2004 study focused on calcium’s affect on fat absorption. This 24 week study involved three groups who were placed on reduced calorie diets. The first group were given a standard diet, the second took an 800 mg calcium supplement daily and the third were placed on a high dairy diet which provided between 1200-1300 mg of calcium daily. All of the groups lost fat, with the high dairy group losing the most (around one pound per week) – nearly twice as much as the first group. Interestingly, the dairy group lost 21% more fat than the calcium supplement group, which supports the notion that getting your calcium from whole foods is the way to go.