Menopause

Calcium slows weight gain. Get less post-menopausal weight gain when you get enough calcium in your diet. Calcium supplements slow post-menopausal weight gain in women who aren't getting enough calcium.

The finding comes from a detailed, seven-year study of more than 36,000 women aged 50 to 79. Half the women took 1,000 milligrams of calcium every day. The other half took identical-looking, inactive placebo pills.

The study proved what many have learned from experience. After menopause, women tend to gain weight until their mid-60s. This study clearly demonstrates what happens to women over time. The most weight gain was in the youngest postmenopausal women.

But the study also showed that calcium supplements slowed this weight gain, particularly among women who weren't getting enough calcium to begin with. Women not taking enough calcium were getting the greatest benefit. They were 11% less likely to gain weight and more likely to remain weight-stable or lose weight. The effect was not cumulative. Women got the benefit after three years, and then were able to maintain that benefit.

The good thing about this study is there may be a very easy little thing women can do to prevent some of that weight gain after menopause. Which is keeping their calcium up.

Calcium: More at Stake Than Weight

The average weight benefit was not very large, just over a quarter of a pound overall, and less than half a pound in women with low calcium intake. But in this latter group, women who took the calcium were 11% less likely to gain 2.2 to 6.6 pounds and also 11% less likely to gain over 6.6 pounds.

And weight isn't the main reason to take calcium. Calcium slows bone loss and cuts a woman's risk of bone fracture after menopause. This is not just about preventing that muffin top above the belt. There is a whole-body benefit from calcium. Calcium may make you a slightly smaller muffin, but it is vitally important for bone health.

Does it matter whether you get your calcium from a pill or from dairy foods? Dairy foods contain other valuable nutrients besides calcium. But they are not calorie-free.

If you are getting your calcium from low-fat dairy foods, you have to swap those calories out for something else. It is not just a matter of adding the low-fat cottage cheese.

Postmenopausal women this age should be taking calcium supplements anyway. But to prevent weight gain, they should also still consider calorie restriction and exercise too for total good health program.

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