Cheese, milk, yoghurt and other dairy foods could help dieters lose those extra kilograms, a new scientific study suggests.
Researchers have reviewed 14 clinical trials involving 883 adults, which delved into how consuming dairy impacted on people's weight, body fat, waistlines and lean muscle mass.
The authors of the article, published this month in the International Journal of Obesity, said they wanted to reveal more about the relationship between weight loss and dairy consumption, which they argued was "still to be fully explored".
From comparing studies they argued that boosting dairy intake without cutting energy intake might not lead to a significant change in weight.
But if adults included three to four servings of dairy per day in an energy-restricted diet they were likely to experience weight loss, as well as a shrinking of the waistline.
"Dairy consumption would help people to lose weight from fat compartments of the body, particularly from abdominal adipose tissue, which has been reported as a main determinant of cardiovascular risk factors," the review found.
Dairy Australia dietitian Glenys Zucco said the organisation had nothing to do with the study but welcomed it.
She said more research was needed to understand how dairy foods assisted weight loss when dieting.
Ms Zucco said earlier research suggested dairy calcium might help people lose extra padding by decreasing the amount of fat absorbed from foods.
"Dairy protein and calcium are thought to help control hunger, particularly in a calorie-restricted diet," Ms Zucco said in a statement on Monday.
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