Calcium as a Weight Loss Wonder.

In a recent government study, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that obesity is fast approaching tobacco as the top underlying preventable cause of death in the USA.
Thirty-four percent of U.S. adults are considered overweight, and an additional 31 percent are obese. Riding this obesity wave is a multitude of weight loss supplements. Many have rightfully been pulled from the shelves as consumers' quest for slim thighs have left individuals chronically ill. Some supplements have even been connected with conditions resulting in death.
As Americans waistlines grow research continues to try to find better ways to control our weight in this time of plenty. One supplement that has been getting some attention, and showing great promise, is our old friend calcium. There has been a considerable amount of research done on calcium in connection with skeletal and cardiovascular health. Only recently has research started to emerge showing calcium as playing a key role in the regulation of energy metabolism.
Calcium deficiency is common, with 80 percent of American adults and 90 percent of women not getting enough. Making calcium deficiency a prime suspect in the "I don't eat anything, why am I still over weight?" conundrum.

Robert Heany, a calcium researcher at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska and one of the several authors currently conducting research on Calcium and weight loss says that although "This (Calcium) is not a magic bullet, adequate levels of calcium can help you 'melt' fat more quickly." In one study, Heany examined data from 348 young women and found that the less calcium they got from their diets, the more likely they were to be overweight or obese. Among those who took in around 400 mg per day or less, 15 percent were overweight. But among those who got the recommended dose of 1,000 mg, only 4 percent were heavy.
Another study comparing women on low-calorie diets found that after two years, those who took in only 500 mg of calcium a day actually gained an average of four pounds, while those who got 1,000 mg lost six pounds. And once a healthy weight was achieved, adequate calcium levels have shown to prevent relapses.

The researchers are hypothesizing that the reason for calcium's effect on weight loss and gain goes back to Paleolithic days. In times of plenty, primitive man seldom had to worry about getting enough calcium. The grains, fruits and vegetables they consumed grew in calcium rich soil and were therefore rich in calcium too. So the only time when humans might have been short of calcium was when food was scarce. These days our soil is largely depleted of valuable calcium due to years of farming and poor soil management. Producing calcium poor vegetables, fruits and grains.

Like so many other functions of the body the calcium metabolism also evolved to respond to starvation. When calcium blood levels are low, a substance called calcitriol rushes through the bloodstream and tells our fat cells to stop breaking down fat and to start storing it, in an act of starvation prevention. When there is a lot of calcium in the diet this calcitriol is not produced, allowing the metabolism to continue to process fat.

Calcium deficiency is present in 80 percent of the American population despite the over abundance of food we have available. This throws our bodies into a chronic state of conservation mode where our bodies are being told to store fat.
Michael Zemel, a nutrition researcher at the University of Tennessee, and the first to discover the connection between calcium and weight, points out "Our ancestors didn't know where their next meal was coming from." Therefore their bodies evolved to be ready to go into conservation mode at the first signs of deficiency. "It's only in this era of excess that we actually want our bodies to be as inefficient as possible at storing fat."

Most research has found that the best way to get your calcium is from the food you eat, in particular dairy products. But there is no denying that over all most people just don't get enough calcium from their diet alone. Daily calcium supplements are often needed to bridge the gap. Fortunately, the amount you need to keep your body out of starvation prevention mode is what is also recommended to help protect your bones and help keep blood pressure in check: 1,000 mg for men and women under 50 and 1,200 mg for those over 50.
Keep in mind though that more is not necessarily better. You will not be able speed up your metabolism just by taking more calcium over and beyond your body's need. Also remember that calcium is only part of the equation, sensible eating and exercise are still necessary to achieve weight loss goals.

So adding calcium to your diet regime will not only give your body what it needs to burn fat efficiently and naturally you will also be helping you bones and heart at the same time. With no side affects and affordable price calcium should be your first choice when considering your weight loss supplement options.

Please see past articles on calcium for more information.
The Confusion Over Calcium
Calcium- Not just about the bones...