Calcium supplements can help middle-aged adults, particularly women, avoid gaining weight over a number of years, according to researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

The study, tracking more than 10,000 men and women in their mid-50s, found that dietary calcium alone had no significant effect on weight over a 10-year period. But women who took a calcium supplement showed some improvement.

The researchers said more evidence is needed before calcium supplements can be recommended specifically for weight loss, but supplements taken for other reasons, such as prevention of osteoporosis, may help to reduce weight gain.

– Markian Hawryluk