Adequate calcium intake has long been recommended for stronger bones. But lately, calcium has been making headlines for its possible link to weight loss. While I hope this news will be a boon for dieters, I'm afraid it could boomerang too.
Why? It hangs on to the fantasy that eating certain foods will cause you to lose weight. Fake. Eating fewer calories than you burn will cause you to lose weight. And while studies suggest that high-calcium diets, particularly high-dairy diets, may improve weight loss for people who are already on low-calorie diets, I'm afraid the latter part of this story is being ignored by those who want to believe that ice cream, milkshakes and mozzarella are actually food.
Dieters who disregard the fat and caloric content of their calcium sources may find their bodies look more bovine than Buff. So before you overdo it, make sure you understand calcium's role in weight loss.
Here's the lean: A low-calcium diet increases blood levels of calcitriol, the active form of vitamin D. Calcitriol stimulates the influx of calcium into your fat cells, which, in turn, activates the expression of lipogenic genes or of fat, thus generating excess fat. In other words, if you're calcium deficient, your body is more willing to create fat cells than when you're getting adequate calcium.
Most recent research has focused on dairy products or supplementation, not fruits and vegetables, as a source of calcium. Additionally, the studies looked at only one endpoint — weight loss — without considering other risk factors at play.
For example, we need to be aware of what else we might get from the sources of calcium we choose, such as saturated fats and hidden sugars, as well as dioxins found in whole foods, which pose a particular risk to women and girls.
The good news is that there are many healthy ways to get your recommended 1,000 milligrams to 1,200 milligrams of calcium per day. For example, a cup of cooked spinach, a cup of non-fat plain yogurt, a cup of cooked black-eyed peas, a kiwi, and a handful of blackberries add up to 1,046 milligrams of calcium for just 450 calories—much less. than if you were trying to meet the same requirement from whole dairy sources.
Also keep in mind that high protein diets can lead to calcium loss, leading to osteoporosis and kidney stones. On the other hand, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables tends to inhibit the urinary excretion of calcium.
So be smart about how you incorporate calcium-rich foods into your weight loss regimen. Read labels, avoid saturated fats and added sugars, keep track of calories, and make sure your body retains the calcium you eat by including plenty of healthy high-calorie fruits and vegetables. And don't fall for high-fat foods marketed as wonder foods. Otherwise, the only thing you'll lose is more ground in the bulge battle.
