Romanesco broccoli is a vegetable source of calcium.
How much calcium for weight loss do you take?
Research has emerged mainly over the past 10 years that shows how many can benefit from calcium for weight loss, Foods which are high in calcium include milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, baked beans, dried figs, broccoli and dark leafy vegetables. See below for a more extensive list of calcium content in foods. The ideal calcium consumption is a range of 800 mg to 1200 mg per day from food sources. A supplement should only be used to make up a gap in deficiency. Avoid calcium intake below 800 mg and above 1400 mg daily. The way to take calcium for weight loss is to increase calcium intake with 2 servings of low fat dairy products and vegetables to maintain a total daily calcium intake of 800 to 1200 mg daily. Use a supplement only if unable to obtain this amount with diet.
The way to take calcium for weight loss is to increase calcium intake with 2 servings of low fat dairy products and vegetables to maintain a total daily calcium intake of 800 to 1200 mg daily. Use a supplement only if unable to obtain this amount with diet.
Research Performed on Calcium for Weight Loss
Heaney et al (1) reviewed data from 9 observational and controlled studies. It was found that higher calcium intakes were associated with lower body weight, lower body fat, and less weight gain in middle age. The authors found that for every 300 mg of daily calcium intake, there was a 2.5 to 3.0 kg lower body weight in adults. Heaney et al suggested that 2 dairy servings per day may significantly reduce the risk of becoming overweight.
A meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies found that an increase in dairy calcium intake by 1241 mg daily leads to 5.2 grams per day of extra fecal fat excretion (2). Zemel MB et al found that subjects with a higher dairy intake were able to maintain a higher calorie intake without weight gain compared to subjects with a lower dairy intake (3).
How to Use Foods with Calcium for Weight Loss
Use the following food list provided to increase dietary calcium intake to an average of 1000 mg daily. Add the total calcium content consumed in foods and supplements for the day. The total calcium requirement to meet should be 800 to 1200 mg dailyin order to obtain the calcium for weight loss. Here is the list of foods with the highest calcium sources by the USDA: high calcium foods.
Calcium for Weight Loss Concerns
High daily intakes of ≥1400 mg of calcium were associated with higher rates of death from all causes including cardiovascular disease, but not from stroke (4,5). High calcium intakes are also associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer in men (6,7,8). This is why adequate calcium is important, but excess calcium should be avoided. You can read more about the dangers of calcium here.
References for How to Take Calcium for Weight Loss
1.Heaney RP, Davies KM, Barger-Lux MJ. Calcium and weight: clinical studies. J Am Coll Nutr. 2002 Apr;21(2):152S-155S. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11999544
2.Christensen R, Lorenzen JK, Svith CR, et al. Effect of calcium from dairy and dietary supplements on faecal fat excretion: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Obes Rev. 2009 Jul;10(4):475-86. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19493303
3.Zemel MB, Donnelly JE, Smith BK, Sullivan DK, Richards J, Morgan-Hanusa D, Mayo MS, Sun X, Cook-Wiens G, Bailey BW, Van Walleghen EL, Washburn RA. Effects of dairy intake on weight maintenance. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2008 Oct 24;5:28. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18950508
4.Michaëlsson K et al. Long term calcium intake and rates of all cause and cardiovascular mortality: Community based prospective longitudinal cohort study. BMJ 2013 Feb 13; 346:f228. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23403980
5.Bolland MJ, Grey A, Avenell A, Gamble GD, Reid IR. Calcium supplements with or without vitamin D and risk of cardiovascular events: reanalysis of the Women’s Health Initiative limited access dataset and meta-analysis. BMJ 2011;342:d2040.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21505219
6.Butler LM, Wong AS, Koh WP, Wang R, Yuan JM, Yu MC. Calcium intake increases risk of prostate cancer among Singapore Chinese. Cancer Res. 2010 Jun 15;70(12):4941-8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20516117
7.Rodriguez C, McCullough ML, Mondul AM, Jacobs EJ, Fakhrabadi-Shokoohi D, Giovannucci EL, Thun MJ, Calle EE. Calcium, dairy products, and risk of prostate cancer in a prospective cohort of United States men. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2003 Jul;12(7):597-603. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12869397
8.Chung M, Balk EM, Brendel M, Ip S, Lau J, Lee J, Lichtenstein A, Patel K, Raman G, Tatsioni A, Terasawa T, Trikalinos TA. Vitamin D and calcium: a systematic review of health outcomes. Evid Rep Technol Assess (Full Rep). 2009 Aug;(183):1-420.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20629479
9. United States Department of Agriculture. Agricultural Research Service. National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference Release 28. Accessed August 8, 2016.
