Do Milk and Dairy Products Help People Lose Weight?

Pro (Yes): Dairy foods may also play a role in improving body weight and/or composition, according to a growing body of scientific research. Studies suggest that for people who do not consume recommended amounts of dairy products, they can enhance their weight loss efforts by including 3 servings of dairy products each day in a reduced-calorie weight loss plan. In several controlled clinical trials of overweight and obese adults following reduced-calorie diets, increasing dairy intake to 3 servings a day of milk, yogurt, or cheese resulted in greater weight loss compared to adults who only cut calories. The current body of research includes randomized clinical trials (considered the 'gold standard' of science), observational, animal and cellular studies conducted by leading research institutions throughout the country. This intriguing connection is being studied worldwide - with positive results reported in Denmark, Greece, Italy and other countries.

Con (No): Nearly half of American women say that they have heard that dairy foods help people lose weight. If only there were sufficient evidence to back up the claim. In 2002 the U.S. Patent Office issued Patent # 6,384,087 to Michael Zemel, his wife, and another researcher, giving them exclusive rights to the claim that calcium or dairy products can prevent or treat obesity. Zemel's published studies looked at a total of just 46 people who consumed extra calcium from dairy foods... None of the [dairy industry's] ads mention that dairy 'burns more fat' only in people who get too little calcium. There's no evidence to support the milk industry's claim that 'more than a dozen research studies now support the finding that drinking 24 ounces of milk every 24 hours will help people lose more weight than just reducing their caloric intake.' None of Zemel's studies instructed people to drink 24 ounces of milk a day. And MilkPEP, the industry's non-profit Milk Processors Education Program couldn't point us to a single study in which people did. The dairy industry's ads don't explain that Zemel's research only applies to people who are overweight. He has no published research on dairy foods and normal-weight people.