new study conducted by researchers at the University of Tennessee, United States of America, suggests that eating yoghurt (curd) helps you lose fat.

Researchers found that obese adults, who ate three servings of fat-free yoghurt a day as part of a reduced calorie diet, lost 22 per cent more weight and 61per cent more body fat than those who simply cut calories and didn't bone up on calcium.

Yoghurt eaters also lost 81 per cent more fat in the stomach area than non-yoghurt eaters.

"Not only did yoghurt help the study participants lose more weight -- the average weight loss was 14 pounds (6.8 kilos) -- they were about twice as effective at maintaining lean muscle mass," said lead researcher Michael Zemel.

"This," he added, "is a critical issue when dieting -- you want to lose fat, not muscle. Muscle helps burn calories, but it is often compromised during weight loss."

In the study, researchers compared the effects of adding yoghurt to a reduced-calorie diet on weight loss in 34 healthy obese adults who were divided into two groups.

For 12 weeks, the first group ate three 6-ounce servings of fat-free yoghurt, providing about 1,100 milligrams of calcium per day.

The other group ate only serving of dairy providing 400-500 milligrams of calcium per day.

Both groups ate a controlled diet that contained 500 calories lesser than normal to stimulate weight loss.

Bijal Goradia, a dietician with Talwalkar's Gym who recommends specialised weight loss diets, says if one takes the Recommended Dietary Allowances of calcium in a day, it could aid in fat loss and weight loss.

RDA is the quantity of any nutrient essential for a balanced diet.

The average RDA for calcium is 1,400 micrograms. However, it also depends on the constituency of one's body.

Calcium works for some, whereas magnesium, chromium or zinc work for others.

Yoghurt is a source of protein with a high calcium content.

Yoghurt as a food may also be beneficial in more ways than one.

According to dietician Seema Talreja, yoghurt is recommended in diets because it has a lactic acid bacteria which cleanses the intestines, thus helping in detoxification.

Besides, it is also easy to digest as opposed to other dairy based products like cheese, paneer and tofu. Yoghurt also works as a good calcium substitute for these higher-calorie dairy products.

A few tips for you

1. Opt for low-fat yoghurt made from cow's milk.

2. If you are making yoghurt at home, use cow's milk instead of buffalo's milk, as the latter has a high fat content.

3. If you have a taste for fruit-based yoghurts, choose the right fruits. For instance, a strawberry flavour is preferable to a mango flavour, as the latter has more calories.

With inputs by Merril Diniz