Researchers have found that around 50 percent of the obese are deficient in a mineral contained in this drink.

A couple of glasses of fat-free milk each day can double weight loss, research finds.

A study of 322 overweight people revealed that those drinking two glasses of low-fat milk each day doubled their weight loss compared to those who drank around half-a-glass.

The reason could be down to the calcium and vitamin D contained in milk.

Researchers have found that around 50 percent of obese people are deficient in calcium.

In addition, among the general population, around half are deficient in vitamin D.

Higher calcium levels appear to reduce the desire for food.

A deficiency in calcium, though, can drive the appetite as a way of obtaining more of the essential mineral.

Vitamin D helps the body to absorb calcium.

Researchers find that consuming dairy products can help to lower blood pressure and cholesterol.

It is also linked to reduced body fat and increased muscle growth.

Although people sometimes avoid dairy when trying to lose weight, there is evidence that normal intake is not fattening.

A study of 19,614 men followed them for 12 years, tracking what they ate and any change in weight.

The results revealed that those consuming three servings of dairy each day did not gain weight.

Dr Greg Miller, an expert in food science and human nutrition, said:

“The good news for the public is that you can follow the MyPyramid recommendation for 3 servings of dairy foods each day and get the nutrition benefits without concern of extra weight gain.

If you’re cutting calories to lose weight, it’s important to get your 3 servings of dairy foods each day for good health and to enhance your weight loss efforts.”

The study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Rajpathak et al., 2006).

50 percent of people are deficient in this vitamin.

Having sufficient levels of vitamin D in the body can double weight loss and shed belly fat, research finds.

Around half the world’s population is deficient in vitamin D.

One study has shown a doubling of weight loss from drinking milk, which contains high levels of calcium and vitamin D, both of which are linked to weight loss.

Foods that are rich in vitamin D include oily fish and eggs, but most people get their vitamin D from the action of sunlight on the skin.

For the current study, 218 obese and overweight women were split into two groups.

All of them had a vitamin D deficiency.

Both groups were put on a weight loss programme, but only half were given 2,000 IU of vitamin D each day.

At the end of the 12 months of the study, the women with sufficient levels of vitamin D in their body had lost 19 pounds.

However, those with low levels of vitamin D had only lost 12 pounds.

Dr Anne McTiernan, study co-author, said:

“This suggests women trying to lose weight might want to have their D levels checked by their provider and replenish their vitamin D levels either through supplements or sun and then have their D levels rechecked after a few months to make sure they’ve risen to a healthy level.”

Those taking vitamin D also reduced the levels of inflammation in their bodies.

Dr Catherine Duggan, study co-author, said:

“An overweight person’s body is in a state of chronic inflammation and all of these inflammation proteins that the body produces can cause things like elevated risk for cancer and diabetes.

Vitamin D helped with that. It could make the condition of being overweight less stressful on the body.”

The study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Mason et al., 2014).

This can actually melt belly fat.

The best way to shed belly fat is exercise, according to the research.

People lose more visceral (belly) fat while exercising than they do taking weight loss medication.

Exercise can actually melt belly fat.

One reason is that exercise stimulates the release of a signalling molecule called interleukin-6.

It is released from the skeletal muscle and plays an important role in breaking down fats in healthy people.

High levels of belly fat are linked to cancer, dementia, cardio-metabolic disease and early death.

Dr Anne-Sophie Wedell-Neergaard, the study’s first author, said:

“The take home for the general audience is ‘do exercise’.

We all know that exercise promotes better health, and now we also know that regular exercise training reduces abdominal fat mass and thereby potentially also the risk of developing cardio-metabolic diseases.”

The study involved 53 people who did several 45-minute sessions per week on an exercise bike.

The results showed that fat was reduced by 8 percent, or 225 grams in 12 weeks.

However, some people were given a drug that blocks the action of interleukin-6.

Instead of losing weight, this group gained 278 grams of fat, despite exercising.

The study helps show that it is interleukin-6 that is causally involved in weight loss.

Dr Wedell-Neergaard said:

“To our knowledge, this is the first study to show that interleukin-6 has a physiological role in regulating visceral fat mass in humans.”

Diet, of course, is also helpful in shedding belly fat.

Unfortunately, there is no miracle food that can reduce belly fat on its own.

However, eating a heart-healthy diet high in fibre can help to reduce abdominal fat.

Dr Wedell-Neergaard said:

“It is important to stress that when you start exercising, you may increase body weight due to increased muscle mass.

So, in addition to measuring your overall body weight, it would be useful, and maybe more important, to measure waist circumference to keep track of the loss of visceral fat mass and to stay motivated.”

The study was published in the journal Cell Metabolism (Wedell-Neergaard et al., 2018).

Use this oil for cooking to achieve more weight loss.

Consuming 15 to 30 g of coconut oil in the daily diet can reduce belly fat, research finds.

Coconut oil can also reduce hunger pangs and appetite and this can help with weight loss.

A meta-analysis of different studies suggests that replacing long-chain triglycerides (LCTs) with medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) over the long-term can lead to weight lost and reduce belly fat.

Coconut oil, palm kernel oil, desiccated coconut and raw coconut meat contain good amount of MCTs.

Most fats and oils in our diet, such as soybean, sunflower oil, and olive oil contain LCTs.

MCTs, though, can increase the body’s ability to burn calories since they break down easily and are absorbed by the cells rapidly.

As a result MCTs are not stored as fat in the body and are sent quickly from the digestive tract to the liver to turn into energy or ketone bodies.

Belly fat

Visceral fat lies deep in the belly and is wrapped around the organs including the stomach, liver, pancreas, and intestines.

Visceral belly fat is also called “active fat” since this type of fat can build up in the arteries and also lead to dangerous health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer.

This fat is different with the subcutaneous fat that is stored under the skin and you can feel it in different parts of your body, such as the arms and legs.

If the belly is sticking out then it is likely that you have stored visceral fat.

If a man’s waist measures 40 inches or more and if a woman’s waist measures 35 inches or more that indicates an excess of visceral fat and health-related issues.

Making changes to diet and lifestyle towards losing weight can help get rid of this active fat.

The study was published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (Mumme & Stonehouse, 2015).

Overweight people who took this antioxidant supplement managed to slim down without diet or exercise.

Lipoic acid, also known as alpha lipoic acid (ALA), is a strong antioxidant which helps people to lose weight.

In a clinical trial, when this dietary supplement was given to overweight or obese people, it made them lose body fat and body weight.

Patients who took 600 milligrams per day of the R form of lipoic acid (R-LA) managed to slim down in 24 weeks without changing their diet or physical activity.

Dr Balz Frei, study co-author, said:

“The data clearly showed a loss in body weight and body fat in people taking lipoic acid supplements.

Particularly in women and in the heaviest participants.”

Lipoic acid is a medium-chain fatty acid that is naturally found in plant and animal products like broccoli, spinach, and organ meats.

Our body makes small amounts of lipoic acid, which is essential for regulating the metabolism and generating energy.

Supplementation of lipoic acid seems to offer some additional benefits irrespective of its role in energy production.

Lipoic acid supplements sold over-the-counter assert benefits including blood sugar and cholesterol level reduction, and powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

It is also used as an additional treatment for diabetes, age-related cognitive decline, and heart disease.

Dr Alexander Michels, study co-author, said:

“Scientists have been researching the potential health benefits of lipoic acid supplements for decades, including how it might enhance healthy aging and mitigate cardiovascular disease.

In both rodent models and small-scale human clinical trials, researchers at the LPI have demonstrated the beneficial effects of lipoic acid on oxidative stress, lipid metabolism and circadian rhythm.”

According to Professor Tory Hagen, the study’s lead author, this research looked into two issues that have often been ignored in past clinical trials.

Professor Hagen explained:

“Many existing clinical studies using lipoic acid have focused on volunteers with pre-existing conditions like diabetes, making it difficult to determine if lipoic acid supplements simply act as a disease treatment or have other beneficial health effects.

Another issue is the formulation of the supplement.

Many previous studies have used the S form of lipoic acid, which is a product of industrial synthesis and not found in nature.

We only used the R form of lipoic acid — the form found in the body naturally.”

The research team saw that those patients who lost weight had reduced blood triglyceride levels, the main component of body fat.

Professor Hagen said:

“By the end of the study, some markers of inflammation declined.

The findings also suggest that lipoic acid supplementation provides a mild reduction in oxidative stress.

It is not a perfect panacea, but our results show that lipoic acid supplements can be beneficial.”

The study was published in The Journal of Nutrition (Bobe et al., 2020).

This highly effective weight loss technique is done in under 15 minutes per day.

Spending just 15 minutes per day keeping a food diary predicts the most weight loss, research finds.

People who simply noted down what they ate while dieting lost an average of 10 percent of their body weight.

Other studies have shown that food diaries can double weight loss.

The key to more weight loss — on any diet — is monitoring food intake quickly and consistently, day after day.

While people think a food diary will be time-consuming, this study shows it is not.

Professor Jean Harvey study co-author, said:

“People hate it; they think it’s onerous and awful, but the question we had was: How much time does dietary self-monitoring really take?

The answer is, not very much.”

The study included 142 people who were followed over 24 weeks.

They took part in an online weight management program led by a dietician.

Participants logged their food intake online and how much activity they did.

They noted down all the calories and fat for the food they at, as well as the portion size and preparation method.

The results showed that those who logged in more often to record their food intake lost the most weight.

Professor Harvey said:

“Those who self-monitored three or more time per day, and were consistent day after day, were the most successful.

It seems to be the act of self-monitoring itself that makes the difference — not the time spent or the details included.”

Having the right expectations helps people stick to their task, said Professor Harvey:

“We know people do better when they have the right expectations.

We’ve been able to tell them that they should exercise 200 minutes per week.

But when we asked them to write down all their foods, we could never say how long it would take.

Now we can.

It’s highly effective, and it’s not as hard as people think.”

The study was published in the journal Obesity (Harvey et al., 2019).

The hours of fasting suitable for most people who want to lose weight but keep their energy and mood high.

Eating within a ten-hour time frame is feasible for most people and they feel less hungry, more energetic and have a better mood, a study suggests.

Intermittent fasting is an umbrella term for dietary restriction plans that follow different meal timing schedules for a period of time.

In recent years, restricted eating set within a specific time window has become a popular weight loss plan.

Ten-hour window

Researchers from King’s College London, evaluated the health benefits gained from intermittent fasting.

They noticed that most people can adhere to eating meals within a ten-hour window of the day and fasting for the remaining 14 hours.

In that case, if your first meal is at 9 am, your last meal must be by 7 pm, then you avoid eating until the next morning at 9 am.

While some recommend a six-hour eating window for an intermittent fasting regime, this study shows that restrictive eating within a ten-hour time frame offers several health benefits such as reduced hunger, increased energy, and positive mood.

Furthermore, they found that participants who stuck to their eating window consistently benefited more than others who changed their daily eating schedule.

Dr. Sarah Berry, the study’s senior author, said:

“This is the largest study outside of a tightly controlled clinic to show that intermittent fasting can improve your health in a real world setting.

What’s really exciting is that the findings show that you don’t have to be very restrictive to see positive results: a ten-hour eating window, which was manageable for most people, and improved mood, energy levels and hunger.

We found for the first time that those who practiced time-restricted eating, but were not consistent day to day, did not have the same positive health effects as those who were dedicated every day.”

Feeling satiated

For this study, about 38,000 participates were assigned to use the ‘ZOE Health’ app for a period of three weeks.

For the first week, subjects followed their usual diet and then for two weeks they had to eat within a ten-hour window.

The health benefits were also greater for those who had adapted to a longer eating window prior to the study.

Dr Kate Bermingham, study co-author, said:

“This study adds to the growing body of evidence showing the importance of how you eat.

The health impact of food is not just what you eat but the time at which you choose to consume your meals, and eating window is an important dietary behaviour that can be beneficial for health.

Findings shows that we don’t need to be eating all the time.

Many people will feel satiated and even lose weight if they restrict their food to a ten-hour window.”

Related

• Portion control is a better strategy for weight management than intermittent fasting.
• Continuous dieting and intermittent fasting can lead to the same amount of weight loss.
• A 14-day break from dieting helps increase weight loss by 50 percent.
• Pesco-Mediterranean combined with time-restricted eating is ideal for improving heart health.

The study was presented by King’s College London researchers at the European Nutrition Conference in Belgrade, Serbia (Berry et al., 2023).