If you've watched the ads, you've got the gist: “Dairy products will help you lose weight and burn fat,” is the message of the moment. This weight-loss claim is backed by two recent studies.

In one study, obese adults who followed a high-dairy diet were shown to lose more weight than those on a low-dairy, high-calcium, or low-dairy, low-calcium diet. The study involved 32 adults and was published in Obesity Research.

A second study, also conducted by Professor Zemel and published in the April 2005 issue of the International Journal of Obesity, showed that yogurt can not only accelerate weight loss, but also trim fat around the stomach. The study was conducted over 12 weeks and involved 34 obese adults divided into two groups. One group ate three six ounce servings of fat-free yogurt per day, while the other group ate only one serving. The group who consumed more yogurt lost 81 percent more stomach fat and lost an average of three pounds more weight.