Dairy is one of the first components we delete from our diet when we decide to cut down on calories. Yet doctors include low-fat dairy foods in a healthy diet because it helps build bones and is a source of calcium, magnesium, vitamins A and B as well as proteins. But should one take them if they plan to cut the flab?Contrary to fears that consumption of dairy products could lead to obesity, the truth is quite the opposite. Calcium, one of the major nutrients in dairy foods, helps in shedding those extra kilos. Recent studies reported that people who consumed low-fat dairy foods had lower body fat percentage and body mass index (BMI) than others.A study published in the International Journal of Obesity & Related Metabolic Disorders found that a diet comprising high-calcium foods caused an average weight loss of 11.2 kg in 16 weeks. That’s greater than the average weight loss in a year caused by taking weight loss drugs such as dexfenfluramine, sibutramine and orlistat. Increasing calcium intake could reduce the risk of obesity substantially, perhaps by as much as 70 per cent. Studies suggest that a 300 mg increment in daily calcium intake is associated with approximately one kg less body fat in children and 2.5 to 3 kg lower body weight in adults.Adequate calcium intake has also been shown to play a role in maintaining blood pressure and nerve impulse transmission. It may also help check pre-menstrual symptoms and the risk of colon cancer. Dairy-intolerant individuals can still benefit from the nutrient with the intake of other calcium-rich foods such as soya and soya products like tofu, soya milk, green leafy vegetables, seaweeds, miso, sesame seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, poppy seeds, almonds and other nuts, ragi and amaranth. Dairy products still seem to be more effective though as calcium is better absorbed from them than from other sources except soya. Other than calcium, researchers believe dairy products contain compounds such as whey proteins, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and branched-chain amino acids—all of which may act as adjuncts with calcium to produce anti-obesity effects.Milk and yogurt contain whey protein, which is rich in the amino acid, leucine. Whey stimulates building of muscles and this process helps increase the metabolic rate. According to studies, whey also contains peptides (parts of proteins) that suppress fat synthesis.CLA—a variant of the essential fatty acid, linoleic acid—is found in dairy products such as milk, cheese and butter, and in cattle and lamb meat. It is a transfat, which it is not harmful like other transfatty acids. It is actually quite beneficial. It reduces body fat by reducing energy intake and increasing the metabolic rate. It is also an anti-carcinogen as it inhibits the growth of a number of human cancer cell lines and suppresses chemically-induced tumor development. There’s more. CLA also helps in lowering cholesterol and arterial plaque build-up. It has antioxidant properties.So, next time you take a slice of cheese, don’t drown yourself in guilt. If you stick to low-fat milk, yogurt and cheese, and control your overall calorie intake, you may probably lose more weight than you ever did without it.Aim for at least three daily servings of low-fat dairy food to achieve a calcium intake of 600-1000 mg a day. Calcium contentCottage cheese (1 cup): 70 mgFat-free yogurt (1/2 cup): 225 mgSkimmed milk (1 cup): 300 mgCooked greens (1 cup): 100 mgCooked amaranth greens (1 cup):280 mgCooked soybeans (1 cup): 450 mgTofu (1 ounce): 130 mgSardines (3 ounces): 370 mg.The writer is a former senior nutritionist at Escorts. She heads the Centre of Dietary Counselling and also runs a health food store. She feels that for complete well-being, one should integrate physical, mental and spiritual health. According to her: “To be healthy should be the ultimate goal for all.”
