Multi-Vitamins May Help Weight Loss In Obese Women...

New study conducted in China reports multi-vitamin and mineral supplements may help reduce body weight and improve blood fat levels, according to results of a clinical trial in obese women.

Results of a 26-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled intervention study with obese women found that multivitamins and minerals were associated with significantly lower body weight, body mass index, and fat mass.

Levels of total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol were also significantly reduced, while HDL-cholesterol were increased, according to findings published in the International Journal of Obesity.

Obesity rates have skyrocketed in the US in recent years - 15 per cent of the population was obese in 1980, compared to 34 per cent today, according to figures from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Daily Multivitamin Use...
According to a National Institutes of Health (NIH) State-of-the- Science Panel, half of the American population routinely use dietary supplements.

Recent results of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey showed that 35 per cent of the US adult population regularly consumes one or more types of multivitamin product (Am. J. Epidemiol., 2004, Vol. 160, Pages 339-349).

Study Details...
Ninety-six obese women aged between 18 and 55 were recruited to participate in the study, with 87 completing the 26 weeks of intervention. Women were randomly assigned to one of three groups: One received a multivitamin and mineral supplement; the second received a calcium supplement; and the third received an identical placebo.

Researchers from the Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene at Harbin Medical University, reported that the multivitamin and mineral group lost an average of 3.6 kg (approx. 8 lbs.) of body weight, compared to 0.9 kg (approx. 2 lbs.) and 0.2 kg (less than one-half pound) for the calcium and placebo groups, respectively.

In addition, significant reductions in BMI and waist circumference were observed in the multivitamin and mineral group, while the changes in the other groups were not significant.

“To our knowledge, this study is the first to evaluate the effects of multivitamin and mineral supplementation on lipid profile in obese subjects,” wrote the researchers.

Calcium and Dairy Intake... On the other hand, the calcium group only experienced cholesterol improvements, with HDL levels increasing and LDL decreasing, compared with the placebo group.

A relationship between dairy intake and weight reduction has been recorded in numerous studies, and dairy industries in Europe and the US have been promoting milk-based products for consumers who want to slim for some time. The subject, however, remains controversial.

Some experts are arguing that calcium and vitamin D are the active nutrients behind the effects of dairy. Other researchers have previously said that dairy can help reduce body fat and that calcium only accounts for about 40 per cent of the fat reduction effect.

Source: International Journal of Obesity Published online “Effects of multivitamin and mineral supplementation on adiposity, energy expenditure and lipid profiles in obese Chinese women”