Many of us have losing weight on our list of New Year’s resolutions – but before you start that very low calorie diet, stop to consider the state of your bones – especially if you’re a woman in your twenties, thirties or forties!
There have been many studies showing that long-term low-calorie dieting without adding exercise can result in an increased rate of bone loss in women. These losses can be offset with exercise, but many women tend to use dieting alone to lose weight..
Another important thing to remember, if you’re going to diet, is to make sure you maintain a high intake of calcium. A study in the Archives of Internal Medicine, published in September 2008, found that as long as calcium intake is adequate, there’s no major change in bone mass over the course of a weight-loss program. In this study, women were given diets that provided between 900 and 1200 mg of calcium per day.
Bottom line – if you want to lose weight, I always recommend exercise over dieting. But if you must diet, please remember to take your calcium supplements – you probably won’t have the benefit of a world-class medical kitchen preparing your meals for you!
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