This study aims to clarify the association between calcium consumption and weight loss. The authors used the PubMed search engine as the primary source of information presented in this article. We reviewed all the available articles that looked into the relationship between calcium consumption and weight loss. It was estimated that a 300-mg increase in daily calcium intake was associated with a three-kilogram decrement in body weight (BW). The effect of higher calcium intake on BW was stronger when initial body fat mass was larger. Two major physiological mechanisms might explain this relationship. First, in cell cultures of human adipocytes, calcium deficiency leads to increases in 1,25(OH)2D levels, which in turn increase lipogenesis and decrease lipolysis. Secondly, during fat binding in the gut, increased calcium intake, and thus concentration, in the intestine induces formation of insoluble fatty and bile acid soaps that are excreted through the feces, thus decreasing the amount of fat available for oxidation and/or storage. In clinical trials, increasing dietary calcium intake by 905–4,000 mg/day increased fecal fat excretion by up to 8.2g per day. Nevertheless, studies reported a greater reduction in BMI when calcium was derived from dairy products rather than from supplements. Finally, there might be a threshold for calcium intake (800 mg/day) above which no additive beneficial effects exist. The benefits of dietary calcium intake in terms of reduction of body weight have been evident and documented in several types of studies, particularly long-term trials.
 

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