Obesity is a growing problem in the US which can lead to a host of unpleasant and dangerous health problems. For menopausal women weight gain is a common side effect of changing hormone levels associated with menopause and can often add to a women's decreased sense of self worth and low self confidence during a difficult time. For some time the effects of calcium supplements on weight control have been ambiguous and until recently, research on this subject has been scarce and inconclusive. However calcium may be a vitamin which can help to stabilize a women's weight and new research conducted in 2007 has tried to shine some light on this subject.
In a randomized trail which was conducted over seven years, 36, 282 women enrolled in a study to identify the role calcium supplements played in the prevention of weight gain in postmenopausal women. Many women find that the notice weight gain during menopause and as part of the Women's Health Initiative, the women, aged between 50 and 79 years of age were split into two groups. One group was given supplements containing calcium plus cholecalciferol (Vitamin D) whilst the other was given a placebo supplement to take every day. The calcium supplement contained 1000mg of calcium and 400 IU of cholecalciferol and any weight change in the women was recorded annually.
After the first three years of the trail researchers noticed that women who had a low calcium intake at the before the test began had a 11% reduced risk of small weight gains over the time period and were 11% less likely to suffer from moderate weight gain in comparison to those women who were taking the placebo and those that had recorded normal calcium levels before this trail began.
The medical researchers who worked on this study conclude that women who did not get enough calcium before starting on the supplements maybe find this type of treatment for weight gain during menopause advantageous. This study showed no sign of postmenopausal weight gain from the regular intake of calcium supplements which is a benefit to women taking the supplements to try and combat osteoporosis and other bone related problems which can be caused by lowering hormone levels during post menopause.
With the hormone changes that come with menopause women's bodies can experience dramatic weight gain and many of the current solutions available for this problem risk adding alien hormones to the body which can cause a number of undesirable side effects. It's important to seek professional medical advice before undertaking new supplements when trying to treat hormone-based weight gain so that women find the right treatment for their bodies.