ROSEMONT, IL., Nov. 17, 1999 - Lowfat dairy foods such as milk, yogurt and cheese, may help control body fat, according to a study presented today at the North American Association for the Study of Obesity (NAASO) Annual Meeting. This is good news for all Americans, especially the 97 million who are overweight and struggle to lose extra pounds.

"We have shown that a diet rich in lowfat dairy foods affects the way in which fat cells do their job," said the study's lead researcher Michael Zemel, Ph.D., department head and director of nutrition, Nutrition Institute, University of Tennessee. "A diet high in lowfat dairy causes fat cells to make less fat and turns on the machinery to breakdown fat, which translates into a significantly lower risk of obesity."

Locating the Link: Lowfat Dairy and Control Body Fat
In this study, four different diets were administered to separate groups of mice. The diet highest in lowfat dairy foods yielded the greatest results in helping control body fat. To apply these findings to the American human population, the researchers analyzed the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) data set. After controlling for caloric-intake, physical activity and other factors, body fat was markedly lowered in people who consumed more dairy.

Women Win with Lowfat Dairy
While the study shows positive fat reduction results for all adults, women benefit most by consuming lowfat dairy foods each day. "What we found is that women who consumed at least three servings of lowfat dairy foods per day were at the lowest risk of becoming obese," said Dr. Zemel. "In fact, there was an 80 percent reduction in risk for any given level of calorie intake."

Mistakenly, people may cut out milk, yogurt and cheese when trying to control weight gain or lose weight. "This study reinforces the importance of lowfat milk and Milk Group foods in a well-balanced daily diet," said Jean Ragalie, R.D., vice president, dairy marketing communications, National Dairy Council. "We've known for some time that lowfat dairy foods may help reduce the risk of osteoporosis, high blood pressure and possibly even colon cancer - now we can add to that list the important role lowfat dairy plays in a healthy weight loss plan."

Lowfat Dairy, Reducing Obesity Evidence Continues to Support the Dairy/Weight Loss Connection
"This study supports a growing body of evidence linking a dairy-rich diet to obesity reduction and lack of weight gain," Ragalie added. Further evidence of the dairy/weight loss connection was presented at the 1999 Experimental Biology Annual Meeting in April. The research, from Purdue University, examined the calcium intakes of women ages 18-31 during a two-year period and found that women who got their calcium from dairy foods experienced greater weight-loss benefits than those who used non-dairy sources or supplements.

In fact, Dr. Zemel's study was conducted in part to substantiate a link between lowfat dairy and body fat reduction that was first noticed nearly 10 years ago in a study of African American men. Although the objective of this earlier study was to examine the role of a dairy-rich diet's role in reducing hypertension, the results also showed that adding two cups of yogurt reduced participants body fat by about 11 pounds. This was an important finding that helped lead to the new study connecting dairy foods with helping to control body fat.

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