Dietary calcium may cause weight loss because it is able to alter calcitriol levels. This suppression of calcitriol may have effects on adipocytes such that intracellular calcium ion levels fall. This then triggers a release of lipids from the adipocytes, and these lipids may be used as a source of fuel and oxidised. Further, the calcium may also inhibit the formation of new lipids in the adipocytes. Studies have investigated the effects of dairy foods on weight loss using yoghurt to deduce if dairy foods, which are a source of dietary calcium, can cause weight loss in healthy human subjects. For example, in one study researchers administered a low calcium diet to human subjects that contained 400-500 mg of calcium. Another group of individuals received 1100 mg of calcium in the diet, which came from the addition of yoghurt to the diet. The yoghurt group lost significantly more fat than the control group, and this was accompanied by a greater retention of lean tissue. Yoghurt may therefore have weight loss effects in humans.
Yoghurt appears to cause weight loss in healthy human subjects, and this mnat be because of the calcium it contains. One particularly interesting facet of this weight loss, is that it the loss of fat may be preferentially from the trunk and abdominal area. This suggests that yogurt is beneficial because it reduces central adiposity.
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