The benefits of calcium for health and weight loss

A study of calcium at Laval University

A diet rich in calcium promotes weight loss, according to a study led by Angelo Tremblay, from the Faculty of Medicine at Laval University.

Reduction in spontaneous food intake

Professor Tremblay's team demonstrated that calcium consumption reduces spontaneous food intake in people whose current diet contains little of this element.

Study methodology

The authors of the study published in the British Journal of Nutrition in March 2009 subjected 63 obese women to a 15-week weight loss program. The participants consumed, on average, less than 600 mg of calcium per day while the generally recommended amount is 1000 mg. In addition to following a reduced-calorie diet, these women had to take either two placebo tablets or two tablets totaling 1200 mg of calcium daily.

Study results

At the end of the program, the researchers found that on average the women in the calcium group had lost nearly 6 kg compared to 1 kg for the women in the control group.

Calcium Research Hypothesis

“Our hypothesis is that the brain is able to perceive a calcium deficiency and that it seeks to compensate for it by stimulating food intake, which, of course, does not promote the success of a weight-loss diet,” comments Angelo Tremblay, holder of the Canada Research Chair in Environment and Energy Balance. “A sufficient intake of calcium would have the effect of preventing this increase in the desire to eat,” continues the researcher. People who undertake a weight loss diet would therefore benefit from ensuring that they consume enough calcium in order to put all the chances on their side.

Trend observed in obese women

According to the researcher, more than 50% of obese women who attend his research team's clinic do not consume the recommended daily dose.

Background of previous research

First discoveries

Professor Tremblay and his team have been studying the link between calcium and obesity for several years. Their first results, published in 2003, revealed that women who eat a diet low in calcium have a higher percentage of fat, waist size and a level of bad cholesterol than those who consume moderately or a lot.

Longitudinal study

A second study, which spanned six years, demonstrated that the more participants reduced their consumption of dairy products during this period, the more their weight, body fat percentage and waist circumference increased.

Link with cardiovascular risk

In 2007, Angelo Tremblay and his team established a direct link between calcium and an improvement in the cardiovascular risk profile in people following a weight-loss diet.