Dairy may be effective addition to high-protein bodybuilder diet

Every person who has ever tried to get ripped knows that consuming adequate protein is an essential component of building muscle. Now, researchers at the Department of Kinesiology at McMaster University are reporting that such a diet should also include dairy products.

In a trial, a team of scientists assigned half of a group of volunteers to consume a diet rich in protein and dairy, but restricted refined carbohydrates. Another subset was instructed to eat low amounts of both protein and dairy.

While both groups had the same average weight loss, the high-protein and high-dairy group experienced only a loss of abdominal fat, while the other volunteers actually lost a pound of muscle. In fact, the former group reportedly gained 1.5 pounds of muscle.

"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," said lead author Andrea Josse.