Lee Swanson Research Update

Calcium and Vitamin D Help Slow Postmenopausal Weight Gain

May 2007

Researchers point out that calcium and vitamin D supplementation appears to help slow weight gain in women during the postmenopausal years. While the effect on weight is small, it's another reason women should be taking calcium and vitamin D.

Researchers kicked off a recent study noting that: "Obesity in the United States has increased significantly during the past several decades." They added: "The role of calcium in the maintenance of a healthy body weight remains controversial."

Setting out to see if calcium supplementation has anything to do with slowing weight gain, a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial was performed with 36,282 postmenopausal women, aged 50 to 79 years. They were already enrolled in the dietary modification or hormone therapy arms of the Women's Health Initiative clinical trial.

In the trial, 18,176 women were randomly selected to receive a daily dose of 1,000 mg of calcium, plus 400 IU of vitamin D, while 18,106 women were given a placebo once a day. Then, their weight was checked each year for seven years. By the end of the trial, researchers found that women who took the supplements weighed an average of 0.28 lbs. less than those who did not.

Women who received the supplements and were getting less than the recommended amount of calcium daily before the start of the study weighed an average of 0.42 lbs. less than those who did not. In addition, these women had a lower risk of putting on weight in both small amounts (2.2 lbs. to 6.6 lbs.) and moderate amounts (more than 6.6 lbs.). And they were more likely to maintain a stable weight (within 2.2 lbs. of their starting weight) or losing weight (more than 2.2 lbs.), the researchers said.

Archives of Internal Medicine 167(9):893-902, 2007

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