Research from several studies has suggested that diets high in calcium and high in dairy might assist with weight loss; however, other research studies indicate that dairy has no additional benefit to an energy-restricted diet plan.  These conflicting results make it difficult to determine whether dairy protein has any substantial biological benefit for weight loss.  A new multi-center, clinical trial suggests that daily (milk) proteins might well be a beneficial part of a healthy eating plan.

This new clinical trial, assigned 106 overweight and obese young adults to one of three diet plans that they were asked to follow for 12 weeks.  The diet plans included:

1.  Low Calcium Diet – 500 Calorie/day deficit; 0 – 1 serving of dairy products/day; 500 mg calcium supplement/day

2.  High Calcium Diet – 500 Calorie/day deficit; 0 – 1 serving of dairy products/day; 1,400 mg calcium supplement/day

3.  High Dairy Diet – 500 Calorie/day deficit; 3 serving of dairy products/day substituted for other protein sources to bring calcium intake from food up to 1,400 mg/day

Measures of body weight and waist size were taken weekly, while body fat measures were assessed at the beginning and end of the study.  Results from this study for those individuals who stuck to the study program showed that:

•  The High Dairy group tended to lose more weight (10 lbs) than the Low Calcium (7 lbs) and High Calcium (5 lbs) groups.  

•  The High Dairy group lost nearly twice as much total body fat compared to the Low and High Calcium diets.  The High Dairy group lost about 10 lbs of total body fat compared to 6 lbs for the Low Calcium group and 5 lbs for the High Calcium group.

•  The High Dairy group lost about 2 lbs more trunk (belly) fat than either the Low or High calcium groups.

•  The reduction in waist size was greater in the High Dairy group compared to the Low and High Calcium groups.

This study shows that including dairy foods as part of a healthy, energy-restricted eating plan can assist with weight loss and fat loss.  Since differences between the High Dairy group and High Calcium group were minimal, this suggests that the benefits were not due to the calcium content.  Since the High Dairy group replaced volunteers’ existing dietary protein with dairy (milk) protein, it is possible that these differences were related to the additional milk protein in the High Dairy group.

Incorporating milk protein into your own healthy eating program is easy with Dr. Tabor’s Slim & Beautiful Diet program.  Dr. Tabor’s Slim & Beautiful milk protein bars and shakes contain 20 grams of milk protein, meaning that one bar or shake would provide you with 40% of your daily value for protein.  Additionally, Dr. Tabor’s Slim & Beautiful milk protein bars and shakes contain 300 – 600 milligrams of calcium, are low glycemic to minimize blood sugar spikes, and contain 1 – 3 grams of healthy fiber.  Including Dr. Tabor’s Slim & Beautiful milk protein bars and shakes to your daily eating plan is a great way to obtain the nutritional benefits of milk protein.

Healthy Eating!

Reference:  

Zemel MB, Teegarden D, Van Loan M, Schoeller DA, Matkovic V, Lyle M, Craig BA.  Dairy-rich diets augment fat loss on an energy-restricted diet: a multicenter trial.  Nutrients 2009; 1:83:100.  Abstract URL: www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/1/1/83