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Nutrition, Vitamins & Supplements for Seniors
Older Women May Prevent Some Weight Gain by taking
Calcium Plus Vitamin D
May stimulate the breakdown of fat cells and
suppress the development of new ones
May 14, 2007 - Postmenopausal women, age 50 to
79 in this study, who take calcium and vitamin D supplements may gain
less weight than those who do not, although the overall effect is small,
according to a report in the May 14 issue of Archives of Internal
Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The benefit is greater in
those who had not previously been getting the daily recommended amount
of calcium.
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Because weight loss or prevention of weight gain
is likely to have significant health benefits for middle-aged women,
early to middle menopause may be a critical period of life in which to
slow the trajectory of weight gain, the authors note as background
information in the article. Some evidence suggests that calcium and
vitamin D may play a role in effective weight management. These
nutrients may stimulate the breakdown of fat cells and suppress the
development of new ones.
Bette Caan, Dr.P.H., of Kaiser Permanente Northern
California, Oakland, and colleagues studied 36,282 postmenopausal women
age 50 to 79 who were enrolled in the Womens Health Initiative clinical
trial. The women were randomly assigned to receive a dose of 1,000
milligrams of calcium plus 400 international units of vitamin D (18,176
women) or placebo (18,106 women) daily. They were weighed each year for
approximately seven years.
At the beginning of the study, 39.63 percent of the
women met current recommended daily intake of 1,200 milligrams of
calcium, 53.94 percent reported taking any calcium supplements and 28.95
percent reported taking supplements of 500 milligrams of calcium or
more.
At the end of the study, women who took the
supplements weighed an average of 0.28 pounds less than those who did
not. Among women who were getting less than the recommended amount of
calcium daily before the study, those who took the supplements weighed
an average of 0.42 pounds less than those who did not.
After three years, when compared to women taking
placebo, women taking the calcium and vitamin D supplements had a lower
risk of gaining weight in both small amounts (2.2 to 6.6 pounds) and
moderate amounts (more than 6.6 pounds) and had a higher likelihood of
maintaining a stable weight (within 2.2 pounds of starting weight) or
losing weight (more than 2.2 pounds).
Prevention of weight gain is an important public
health goal, and caloric restriction and daily physical activity should
still be considered the basic tenets of weight management, the authors
conclude. Further research should be undertaken to address the effect
of calcium supplementation combined with caloric restriction and
physical activity on weight gain prevention.
Editor's Note: This study was supported by
the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Department of Health and
Human Services. Many clinical centers received assistance from the
General Clinical Research Center program of the National Center for
Research Resources. The active study drug and placebo were supplied by
GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare.
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