The Ultimate Guide on Calcium and Weight Loss

How’s this for a pair of health benefits: Calcium helps you build strong, healthy bones and may help you lose pesky belly fat at the same time!

Talk about a win-win. But there’s more.

A healthy weight is also a key component of healthy bones in its own right. See, a healthy body weight puts less strain on your joints and skeleton. And it lessens the bone-damaging inflammation obesity can trigger too!

Here’s everything you need to know about calcium and fat loss.

If taking calcium for weight loss sounds a little too good to be true, don’t worry. There are three science-backed findings on calcium’s role in weight loss to help calm any doubts you may have:

1. 1. It helps you burn more fat
   2. It makes you feel fuller for longer
   3. It helps your body get rid of fat (through stools)

Now, let’s take a closer look at the science behind that trio of findings.

To answer the question, “Does calcium burn fat?”, let's turn our attention to the research.

A randomized, double-blind study [2] compared the effect of a 15-week weight-loss program on body fat. The sample of the study was 63 overweight or obese women with an average age of 43. All of the women consumed less than 800 milligrams of calcium a day before the study began.

The women were randomly assigned to receive 600 milligrams of supplemental calcium with five micrograms of vitamin D twice a day, or a placebo.

Women who took the calcium and vitamin D supplement during the study and were consuming less than 600 milligrams of calcium a day before the study saw a significant decrease in fat mass and body weight. This study provides support that calcium does enhance fat burning.

As it turns out, the link between consuming calcium and losing weight can also be tied to your appetite. The vitamins and minerals within your meal all play a role in how long it takes for you to feel hungry again. And calcium plays a starring role.

Researchers tested the effects calcium has on appetite in 13 men and seven women in a double-blind study [3]. There were four preload meal variations for the participants to try. And they were: a low-calcium/low-protein control, a high-calcium preload, a high-protein preload, and a high-calcium/high-protein preload.

After the high-protein/high-calcium trial, total energy intake (calories consumed) was 3,419 calories. This was the lowest amount of calories consumed in any of the meal variations.

The next best was the high-calcium preload day, which totaled 3,501 calories. The high-protein preload trial was third, with 3,699 calories consumed. The least effective was the low-calcium/low-protein preload trial. On that day 4,126 calories were consumed.

Ultimately, researchers found preloading with protein led to almost perfect energy compensation. They also found calcium, with or without protein, suppressed appetite.

Not only does consuming calcium make us feel fuller longer so that we eat less, but it also helps our bodies expel more fat. Humans typically excrete about 2 grams of fat in stools each day. But recent studies show calcium can increase that number significantly. That’s right, when it comes to calcium and fat absorption, calcium does indeed help you excrete more fat in your stools.

A review and meta analysis [4] of randomized control trials was published in 2009. The results of these studies show increasing calcium intake from 400–500 mg per day to 1241 mg per day increases the amount of fecal fat. On average, the participants in the studies lost 5.2 g of fat in their stools!

So that’s the science behind calcium and weight loss. Granted, you have to do more than take calcium to lose weight. As you know, proper nutrition and exercise play a key role as well. But when it comes to keeping excess pounds off, every little bit helps.

So what’s the best way to incorporate calcium into your diet?

To get the most benefit, take supplemental calcium and vitamin D with breakfast. Research shows higher calcium and vitamin D intake at breakfast [6] increases the rate of fat burning that day.

But here’s the thing: Getting enough calcium from your diet alone can be tough. The recommended total calcium intake for adults is 1000–1200 mg per day. But the average Western diet only provides approximately 500 mg of calcium daily. That’s why calcium supplements are a great way to reach your dietary allowance and help you reap those weight-loss benefits too — if you choose the right one.

AlgaeCal Plus is a plant-based calcium supplement (all natural with no adverse side effects) that provides all 12 of the other essential bone-supporting minerals. Plus, it contains 720 mg of calcium per serving — which leaves enough room for adding plenty of calcium-rich foods to your diet.

Traditional rock calcium supplements typically provide a large single dose of calcium on its own (or with vitamin D). This results in excessive calcium intake without the right balance of other nutrients to direct calcium into bone. AlgaeCal Plus provides 720 mg of calcium along with a naturally occurring trace mineral complex and added vitamins and minerals, which facilitate the absorption and direction of calcium.

According to Lara Pizzorno, bone-health expert and best-selling author of Healthy Bones Healthy You!, taking more than 1500 mg can lead to adverse effects.

So play it safe. Include calcium-rich foods in your diet and take the recommended daily dose of AlgaeCal Plus to reap those bone-building and waist-slimming benefits of consuming calcium — minus any adverse side effects.