Calcium and Workout: A Formula for Health?

Calcium and vitamin D lower the risk of cardiovascular disease for people who follow a weight loss program, according to a recent study. Calcium and vitamin D supplements also have an impact on the level of cholesterol.

The study involved sixty-three overweight women and had them follow a low-calorie diet for fifteen weeks. First, the women had a daily calcium intake of 700 mg, below the 1000 mg recommended.

Later, the dosage was increased to 1200 mg of calcium with vitamin D. The study showed a significant improvement of the HDL, the good cholesterol, and a lower level of bad cholesterol (LDL) for the subjects.

The loss of weight registered by the subjects during the low-calorie diet did not seem to affect the level of good cholesterol. It appeared that calcium and vitamin D may lower the cardiovascular risk for women with low calcium levels.

The same research team previously showed that people may have a higher LDL level, higher fat percentage, or wider waists if their calcium intake is low, and that people with a reduced dairy consumption gained weight and suffered an increase of waist size and body fat percentage.

The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, concluded that people who want to follow a weight loss program but have insufficient calcium intakes should have calcium and vitamin D supplements during their workout period.