Calcium: Burns Fat, Flattens Tummies (Maybe)

By ALICE SHANE

We all know that calcium is good for our bones and teeth. But scientists say it also controls body fat and weight by adjusting your fat-burning machinery.

Park Avenue diet doctor/nutritionist Jana Klauer, MD, advises her patients to consume 1200 mg of calcium daily – the recommended dosage of dairy-derived calcium many of these studies suggest.

True, a lot of research into the weight loss properties of calcium has been financed by the dairy industry and companies that sell products like Yoplait yogurt. But there must be some validity to all this -- studies supported by government grants report the same thing. The Heritage Family Study, conducted at six US medical centers, for example, confirmed that low calcium consumption is tied to a higher percentage of body fat – partularly in the tummy area. Researchers at Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, theorize that weight gain in midlife could be attributed to low calcium intake.

Now that we’re chomping at the bit to drink our milk and eat our yogurt, we're wondering how calcium’s weight control powers really work. A University of Tennesse study suggests that calcium stored in fat cells influences how fat is stored and broken down by the body: the more calcium in your fat cells, the more fat it will burn. So drink up, eat those calcium-rich products -- just make sure they’re low fat versions.

A caveat, though, from the prestigious Mayo Clinic: their study of 90 obese subjects suggests that a diet with 1400 mg. of calcium failed to result in greater weight or fat loss than a much lower dosage (800mg) of calcium. Oh, well, there are few absolutes in this life!

But chug-a-lug your milk anyway. What have you got to lose? Some weight, maybe.

Big Bucks, Bad Food

By ALICE SHANE

It really pisses me off when I've spent big bucks for a so-so restaurant meal. Even a minimal outlay for a bad meal at an el cheapo establishment can put me in a foul mood.

What's the solution? Grudgingly pay your bill and vow never to return?

Not so fast. I, for one, am reluctant to send food back -- restaurant employees can be “creative” about getting even with disgruntled customers in ways you can’t imagine. My policy is to register a complaint with the manager the next day. Simply pick up the telephone and tell him/her how disappointed you were with that overcooked $35 steak, the abysmal $12 burnt chocolate souffle, or rude service.

Most fine restaurants will invite you back at their expense and treat you like visiting royalty. Even el cheapo franchise restaurants care about their reputations and will offer you a replacement meal or coupons.

It pays to complain.