Abstract

Limited epidemiologic and experimental data support the possibility that dietary calcium intake plays a role in human body weight regulation. The aim of this review was to present the data from human studies that link calcium and dairy intake to body weight, describe the existing evidence for an effect of calcium intake on body weight from animal models of obesity, present evidence of a role for intracellular calcium in the regulation of lipogenesis and lipolysis, elucidate the potential suggested relation between dietary calcium intake and intracellular calcium concentrations, and outline the effects of calcium supplementation on dietary fat absorption. We suggest that these data support the need for large, population based clinical trials to assess the effects of supplemental calcium and other components of dairy products on human body weight.