By: Hilary Walke

Jun 24, 2009

Don’t worry—no recipe disaster involved. You don't have to drink them together.

Milk. It does the body good. And, according to a new study, milk does the body some weight loss as well. Australian researchers found drinking fat-free milk in the morning may help stave off hunger at lunchtime—by 50 calories. Could it be?

Published in the July issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the study involved 34 “overweight but otherwise healthy” men and women who participated in two sessions. In one session they drank fat-free milk, and the other involved fruit juice—both beverages were around 250 calories. When lunchtime rolled around, the milk-drinkers ate an average of 50 less calories, and declared they were full and satisfied.

While 50 calories may seem small compared to your average daily caloric intake, it can definitely add up in the long run. Considering Americans are gaining as much as two pounds per year, 50 calories less at lunchtime couldn’t hurt.

And that’s where vinegar comes in. Another Japanese study concluded vinegar turns on genes that help fight fat.

Mice were given acetic acid (the main chemical in vinegar) or water, and turns out the acetic acid-fed mice developed 10 percent less body fat than the water-fed mice. The researchers believe the fat-fighting genes produce proteins that aid in fat breakdown, which helps prevent weight gain.

We’re not telling you to chug fat-free milk in the mornings and drench your lunchtime salads with vinaigrette. But if you’re making the choice between whole and skim or ranch and balsamic, these new studies may sway your decision next time.

Want to know the nutrition content of milk or vinegar? Use our handy nutrition calculator >>