Sufficient dietary calcium is necessary for individuals of all ages and supplemental calcium intake is often recommended for older individuals, particularly women. However, calcium may be important for losing body fat as well.
A 12 week study that was conducted at the University of Tennessee found that, among men, those who added at least three servings of yogurt to their daily diet lost sixty-one percent more body fat than those who did not. Additionally, those who ate yogurt during the course of the study lost eighty-one percent more stomach fat than those who did not eat yogurt.
How did yogurt factor into the reported loss of body fat? According to Dr. Michael Zemel, the calcium contained in yogurt was instrumental in two ways. It allowed for increased fat-burning and also limited the amount of new fat the body could make. Other studies have also demonstrated a positive correlation between increased fat burning and high intake levels of the mineral calcium