Benefits of Drinking Milk Include Superior Weight Loss

An ice-cold glass of milk is a favorite of many, and the benefits of drinking milk is one that many in the U.S. take advantage of. As a long-standing source of nutrition, milk is known to support growth and it's interesting to note that humans are the only species to consume milk after weaning.

Now your favorite beverage may be known for something else... drinking more milk, or eating more of other dairy foods, might help you shed extra pounds according to research recently published.

The study found that adults who consumed the most amount of dairy products lost just short of a stone in weight at the six-month point, while those who only ate low levels of dairy products lost just half a stone after two years.

Increased vitamin D levels in the blood were also related to successful weight loss. Those having the most amount of dairy consumed about 12 oz of milk or 580 mg of dairy calcium; the lowest was 150 milligrams (about half a glass).


The work included over 300 men and women who were classed as overweight and were between the ages of 40 to 60 years old who followed either a low fat diet, a low carbohydrate diet or diet based on the Mediterranean style of eating. They could find all the foods they needed right at their workplace cafeteria.
The study subjects completed questionnaires about how much food, including dairy they consumed on a regular basis. The foods considered to be dairy for the study included low fat and regular milk, flavored milk, yogurt, and hard cheeses. A measurement was also made of subjects' levels of vitamin D found in the blood and their BMI (body mass index).

Overweight subjects had lower amounts of vitamin D in their blood when the study started, but the levels went up for those who shed the most weight. The greater the amount of vitamin D found in the blood, the bigger the loss of weight.

The researchers conclude that both higher calcium intake from dairy and increased blood levels of vitamin D are linked to increased diet induced weight loss. Just how that happens is still up for debate. There are several theories, including the chance that consuming foods high in calcium causes you to lose excess fat through your stool.

Vitamin D is the nutrient given the label of the "sunshine" vitamin as the body can make it after being out in natural sunlight for twenty minutes or so. The nutrient is also found naturally in some foods, and added to others. Deficiencies in vitamin d have been connected to many health issues like heart disease and some forms of cancer.

Low vitamin D levels are also linked to weight gain.

Bringing those levels up appears like it might be helpful for weight loss. Some experts believe that milk is a good source of this vitamin and may be replacing other drink choices that might be higher in calories. Milk is also loaded with protein and nine different nutrients so it's a fantastic way to fill any gaps that might be opened when you start cutting calories.

It's important to remember it might not be the dairy enhancing the weight loss, but rather what the participants are not eating that is helping with weight loss. For example, if you're drinking more milk, you're not drinking sugar-sweetened drinks. Another possibility? Since vitamin D is made when we're out on the sun, maybe those with higher levels were out more often... perhaps exercising?

While some diet experts aren't sold on the idea that the benefits of drinking milk include being a weight loss aid, they do believe it can be a great tasting, nutritious choice that offers useful nutrients with a low calorie count as opposed to unwelcome substances like sugar, sodium and bad fats. Also important to know, increased levels of dairy consumption have been associated with increased risks for certain cancers. Drink wisely.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kirsten_Whittaker

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