Calcium supplementation in middle-aged women could be beneficial to weight maintenance according to a study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association (Vol. 106, pp. 1066-1073) which brings the focus of the debate back to calcium.

"This study suggests that calcium supplements taken for other reasons (eg. prevention of osteoporosis) may have a small beneficial influence on reducing weight gain, particularly among women approaching midlife," concluded the researchers.

The report is in line with what Dr Michael Zemel from the University of Tennessee told attendees at the Paris Anti-Obesity Therapies congress at the end of May.

"The anti-obesity effect of dietary calcium is supported by cellular mechanistic studies, animal studies, human epidemiological studies and clinical trials," said Zemel.

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