During the 12-week trial, experts, in Perth put 40 volunteers on a calorie-reduced diet, but some were asked to eat more cheese, yoghurt and low fat milk.  Those who increased their daily servings of dairy products from three to five lost the most weight, the Curtin University of Technology study found.  They also had lower blood pressure, the least stomach fat and "significantly improved" their chances of improving their health and avoid heart disease and diabetes.

Cheese and other dairy products are high in protein, which can help us feel full quickly as it speeds up the body's metabolism.  "Many people commonly believe that when trying to lose weight, dairy products are key foods that they have to cut out of their diet as they are high in fat," said lead researcher, Dr Wendy Chan She Ping Delfos.

"This study has shown that when trying to lose weight people can actually benefit by increasing the amount of dairy they consume, as long as during the weight loss period total energy intake is less than their requirements.  "It will help you reduce your blood pressure and it also causes greater total abdominal fat loss, so you'd lose weight more around the belly.

Dr Chan She Ping Delfos, of the university's School of Public Health, also found that addition benefits of combining resistance training with the high-dairy, reduced-calorie diet.  It resulted in a higher fat-burning rate and reduced the chances of weight gain when the trial finished.  Dieters, should however, should still watch their fat and calorie intake.

"Increasing dairy intake to five servings per day as part of a reduced calorie diet has never been studied before," she said.  "Diets containing high levels of protein, calcium and vitamin D, among other bioactive nutrients, can be an important part of a prudent weight loss or weight maintenance diet."