Whether or not yogurt is good for fat burning and can help you lose weight has been a subject of debate and even lawsuits. The calcium found in yogurt has been documented to help reduce fat in a University of Tennessee study, and probiotics, found in yogurt, are believed by many to help you lose weight. Yet some people believe the claim that yogurt can help you burn fat is just a marketing scam.
Calcium Study
The University of Tennessee study was conducted by Dr. Michael Zemel and observed two groups: one that was given 1,100 mg of calcium each day and ate three servings of light yogurt, and one that was given 500 mg of calcium each day and no yogurt. The two groups both consumed 500 fewer calories than they normally consumed. The results showed that the group that ate the yogurts and the greater amount of calcium loss 61 percent more body fat and 2 percent more weight than the group that didn't. Zemel attributes these results to the calcium in yogurt, which he says signals your fat cells to stop storing fat and to burn it instead.
Daily Calcium Requirements
You can consume 42 percent of your daily calcium requirement by eating 1 cup of plain yogurt, which contains 415 mg of calcium. Three servings of plain yogurt would give you 1,245 mg of calcium, slightly more than the participants in the University of Tennessee study who lost the most weight and burned the most fat consumed. Eating flavored, fruit-filled or soy yogurt will give you slightly less calcium, which may be why the participants in Zemel's study consumed 1,100 mg a day rather than 1,245 mg of calcium a day by eating three yogurts a day.
Probiotics
Besides calcium, yogurt also contains probiotics, which are known as "beneficial bacteria" that many people believe can help your digestion. James Duigan, a professional trainer, promotes adding probiotics to your diet to help you lose weight. He recommends probiotics to his clients because he says the bacteria can improve your digestion, making weight loss easier to obtain. Duigan believes probiotics can help make everything in your body work better, including weight loss and fat burning.
Controversy
Dannon, which manufactures Activia yogurt, markets its yogurt as a product that can help fight irritable bowel syndrome. Jean Kilbourne, author of "Killing Us Softly," disagrees with Activia's use of advertising. She says that while Activia doesn't blatantly voice any fat-burning claims, only alleviation of "occasional irregularity," the company's use of imagery of flat abs and an arrow pointing down is meant to make women believe they can gain flat abs from eating the yogurt. Kilbourne says, "It's meant to evoke the idea, 'this is the kind of tummy you can end up with.' The arrow is code for this will go right through you." Dannon has come under legal fire apparently because there is no scientific study that proves the probiotics in its yogurts can relieve IBS, let alone burn fat.
Lack of scientific evidence does not, of course, mean that eating yogurt won't help you lose weight or provide other health benefits. It should be obvious, though, that just eating yogurt probably won't give you washboard abs. It may, however, along with a healthy diet and exercise, get you one step closer.
References
- "The Washington Times"; Dairy Industry Sued for Weight-loss Ads; Marguerite Higgins; June 29, 2005
- University of Tennessee: Yogurt Increases Fat Loss
- "The News of the World"; The Thin Commandments; Helen Foster; Jan. 2, 2011
- Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Calcium Sources
- Whole Soy Yogurt: Plain
- "National Post"; Going on Gut Instinct; Lauren Sandler; July 7, 2008
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