Can the secret to blasting belly fat be found in a glass of milk?
In a study, funded in part by the Dairy Farmers of Canada and published in the September issue of The Journal of Nutrition, three groups of overweight, premenopausal women were put on different diets: low, medium and high amounts of dairy, coupled with high or low amounts of proteins and carbohydrates.
The women were also put on an exercise regimen that included aerobic exercise five days a week and weightlifting two days a week for four months.
While the groups experienced identical weight loss, researchers at McMaster University in Canada said the group that consumed a high protein, high dairy diet experienced greater "whole body" weight loss, particularly in the hard-to-lose area for women: the abs.
They also gained the most muscle mass of the three groups, adding a pound and a half to their bodies, compared to the low protein, low dairy group, which lost the same weight in muscle mass.
Adding that much muscle is a "major change in body composition," pointed out the study's lead author Andrea Josse -- one that brings with it a host of other benefits.
"The preservation or even gain of muscle is very important for maintaining metabolic rate and preventing weight regain, which can be a major problem for many seeking to lose weight," she said in a statement.
The same group also lost twice as much belly fat than the low protein, low dairy group, the study found -- an area that can foretell the risk for cardiovascular disease later on.
"Fat in the abdomen is thought to be especially bad for cardiovascular and metabolic health, and it seems -- according to what we found in this study -- increasing calcium and protein in the diet may help to further promote loss of fat from the worst storage area in the body," she said.
Read more: Diet high in protein and dairy may help women lose belly fat, an indicator of heart disease
In a study, funded in part by the Dairy Farmers of Canada and published in the September issue of The Journal of Nutrition, three groups of overweight, premenopausal women were put on different diets: low, medium and high amounts of dairy, coupled with high or low amounts of proteins and carbohydrates.
The women were also put on an exercise regimen that included aerobic exercise five days a week and weightlifting two days a week for four months.
While the groups experienced identical weight loss, researchers at McMaster University in Canada said the group that consumed a high protein, high dairy diet experienced greater "whole body" weight loss, particularly in the hard-to-lose area for women: the abs.
They also gained the most muscle mass of the three groups, adding a pound and a half to their bodies, compared to the low protein, low dairy group, which lost the same weight in muscle mass.
Adding that much muscle is a "major change in body composition," pointed out the study's lead author Andrea Josse -- one that brings with it a host of other benefits.
"The preservation or even gain of muscle is very important for maintaining metabolic rate and preventing weight regain, which can be a major problem for many seeking to lose weight," she said in a statement.
The same group also lost twice as much belly fat than the low protein, low dairy group, the study found -- an area that can foretell the risk for cardiovascular disease later on.
"Fat in the abdomen is thought to be especially bad for cardiovascular and metabolic health, and it seems -- according to what we found in this study -- increasing calcium and protein in the diet may help to further promote loss of fat from the worst storage area in the body," she said.
Read more: Diet high in protein and dairy may help women lose belly fat, an indicator of heart disease
{YAY BUILT!!!! 
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