3-A-Day of Dairy Weight Loss Program

I was at the grocery store the other day and saw an ad for the 3-A-Day of Dairy Weight Loss Program that has recently been launched by the National Dairy Council. I was intrigued by the claims that there is substantial evidence suggesting that people who consume more dairy are less likely to be overweight. I always new that ingesting calcium was an important part of a healthy diet, but I didn’t know it could help you lose or maintain weight. So today, I decided to look into this new diet plan.

The 3-A-Day of Dairy Weight Loss Program by the National Dairy Council is a calorie-reduced diet combined with at least three servings of dairy per day.

The 3-A-Day of Dairy weight loss program is a new diet that was created by way of a partnership between WebMD’s Weight Loss Clinic and the National Dairy Council. It is a program that has been designed to allow people to lose weight through a special calorie-reduced diet that includes three servings of dairy products on a daily basis. It is geared toward adult weight loss and claims to be effective specifically in weight loss within the abdominal area of the body.

The National Dairy Council was responsible for the actual unveiling of the program and says that weight can be lost through an increase in fat burning as a result of eating products such as milk, yogurt, and cheese every day. Information regarding this effort is now being posted throughout the country in supermarkets, as well as on the packages of dairy products sold elsewhere such as in fast-food chains.

The science behind the 3-A-Day of Dairy weight loss program is, according to Gregory D. Miller, Ph.D, from the National Dairy Council’s nutrition and product innovation department, based on a link between the consumption of calcium in dairy products and the amount of body fat and weight a person has on his or her body. Dr. Miller stated that people who have a lower intake of dairy products and those containing calcium are more likely to be overweight and have a higher score on the body mass index than people who regularly consume dairy and calcium-rich products. In fact, Miller says that by eating three or more dairy products every day can reduce a person’s risk of being within the highest obesity category by eighty six percent.

According to Dr. Miller, weight loss from consuming dairy products occurs because the body’s ability to burn stored fat is increased while maintaining muscles on the body. This is very important because muscles are necessary for burning fat more efficiently – especially when adding activities to a lifestyle. Strong muscle mass is also a major contributor to the loss of abdominal fat – which is very important to lowering other health risks such as diabetes and high blood pressure.

As a person who has struggled with weight loss for many long years and who has tried a number of diets with very little success, I am a bit skeptical when it comes to things that sound too good to be true. Can eating my favorite things like cheese and yogurt really help me lose weight? Well, to get more of an unbiased opinion on the matter (one that isn’t sponsored financially by the National Dairy Council) I decided to do some research on my own.

I can’t say I was too surprised to find that a number of published studies concerning the effects calcium has on weight loss did not support the claims being made by the 3-A-Day Weight Loss program. One published article in particular, which was a review of 49 clinical trials, found that of these trials “41 showed no effect, two demonstrated weight gain, one showed a lower rate of gain, and five showed weight loss”. This 2008 clinical trial review thus concluded that the “majority of the current evidence from clinical trials does not support the hypothesis that calcium or dairy consumption aids in weight or fat loss”. (Dairy and weight loss hypothesis: an evaluation of the clinical trials. Nutrition Reviews Journal 2008 May;66(5):272-9)

So as you can see, despite what the National Dairy Council claims about its 3-A-Day Weight Loss program, consuming dairy three times a day will not necessarily be your answer to a thinner you. Despite this, making sure to consume foods rich in calcium in your daily diet is a great way to maintain overall good health, including keeping bones and teeth strong and prevent some diseases, such as osteoporosis. There are a number of foods you can eat other than dairy that contain calcium (although dairy is the best source). Some of these foods include calcium-enriched orange juice, broccoli, rhubarb, Chinese cabbage and soymilk.

Other Related Posts and Articles you May Find Interesting: “Daily Calcium Requirements”, “Dairy Fats and Calcium Absorption” and “Lactose Intolerance”.