Milk Drinkers May Lose More Weight

Drinking milk may help you get rid of unwanted weight.

Drinking higher amounts of milk or eating other dairy foods may help you win the battle of the bulge, according to new research published online in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Adults who ate or drank the highest amount of dairy per day -- about 12 ounces of milk or 580 milligrams of dairy calcium -- at six months lost about 12 pounds at the end of the two-year study. People who got the least amount of calcium from dairy foods -- about 150 milligrams of dairy calcium, or half of a glass of milk per day -- lost 7 pounds after two years. Higher levels of vitamin D in the blood were also linked with successful weight loss, the study showed.

Exactly how -- or if -- dairy foods aid in weight loss is not fully understood. Several theories exist, including the possibility that eating more calcium results in losing more fat via the stool, the study researchers say.

Overweight participants had lower blood levels of vitamin D when the study began, but vitamin D levels increased among those who lost more weight. The higher the blood levels of vitamin D, the greater the weight loss, the study showed.

Despite the potential health benefits, many Americans are still not getting the recommended 400IU of vitamin D each day - the amount in four glasses of fat free or lowfat milk. This D-ficiency may put their health at risk, for healthy weight and beyond. Well known for its role in keeping bones strong, vitamin D is now being hailed for so much more. Emerging science suggests vitamin D may also help protect against diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and certain cancers. It also supports a healthy immune system.