by Ashleigh Feltham
Accredited Practising Dietitian and Accredited Nutritionist
Are you one of the many people trying to figure out just what it takes to lose weight and maintain it? When it comes to losing weight, the extra details matter. One nutrient combination that you may not have considered is vitamin D and calcium. This vitamin and mineral duo are well known for their role in keeping your bones and teeth strong. What you may not have considered is the role they could play in supporting weight loss.
When it comes to your ability to lose weight, it fundamentally comes down to one thing: negative energy balance. This means consuming less energy than you expend, or expending more energy than you consume. Once this fundamental principle is adhered to, you can add the extra details. This includes the type of foods and nutrients included in your diet. These smaller details still matter and make a difference to your long term weight loss success.
A study conducted over a two-year period found that those with a diet higher in calcium and vitamin D increased the likelihood of an average weight loss of greater than 4.5kg. Proposed reasons for this effect are the fat burning and satiety effects of this combination. Calcium may also promote weight loss by increasing the amount of fat you excrete as waste from your body. On average you excrete 2g of fat in your stools each day. A meta-analysis of the research reported that increasing calcium levels from 400-500mg to 1241mg a day could increase the amount of fat you excrete in your stool to as much as 5.2g.
In another study, the release of two hormones that promote satiety and fullness, GIP (1-42) and GLP-1, were present in 47% and 22% higher amounts respectively after a calcium-rich meal. The positive effects on reducing satiety and hunger have been noted to continue for 24 hours after consuming a meal high in vitamin D and calcium.
On top of this, calcium has been linked to increased release of insulin, the hormone needed to take sugar out of your blood. This promotes the use of glucose as a fuel source rather than it being stored as fat.
A great food source of both vitamin D and calcium is seafood, like salmon with bones, sardines and anchovies. Safcol Seafood offers a range of quality seafood including salmon with bones as well as a delicious range of sardines.
Take home message
When it comes to losing weight, ultimately it is down to fewer calories eaten than expended as energy. Once you have this fundamental principle down, extra details like including enough calcium and vitamin D in your diet may help promote your weight loss success.
Reference:
- Shahar DR, Schwarzfuchs D, Fraser D, Vardi H, Thiery J, Fiedler GM, Blüher M, Stumvoll M, Stampfer MJ, Shai I; DIRECT Group. Dairy calcium intake, serum vitamin D, and successful weight loss. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Nov;92(5):1017-22. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.2010.29355. Epub 2010 Sep 1. PMID: 20810979.4
- Hardy OT, Czech MP, Corvera S. What causes the insulin resistance underlying obesity? Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes. 2012;19(2):81-87. doi:10.1097/MED.0b013e3283514e13
- Gonzalez JT, Stevenson EJ. Calcium co-ingestion augments postprandial glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide(1-42), glucagon-like peptide-1 and insulin concentrations in humans. Eur J Nutr. 2014;53(2):375-85. doi: 10.1007/s00394-013-0532-8. Epub 2013 May 21. PMID: 23689561.
- Gonzalez JT, Rumbold PL, Stevenson EJ. Effect of calcium intake on fat oxidation in adults: a meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials. Obes Rev. 2012 Oct;13(10):848-57. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-789X.2012.01013.x. Epub 2012 Jun 19. PMID: 22708505.
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