For years, Prevention magazine has heard from women across America that despite their best efforts, they can’t lose the jiggly belly fat that builds up around their middles, especially once they hit 40. Sixty-seven percent of them say it’s the body part they most want to change. Shrinking an expanding waistline isn’t a matter of vanity. Excess belly fat can significantly increase your risk of heart disease, diabetes and chronic illness more than any other type of body fat — for both men and women!

Now, new research reveals that monounsaturated fatty acids (or MUFAs) make weight loss not only easier but may target belly fat specifically.

If your New Year’s resolution is to lose weight, calcium and dairy can help, according to new research by Loyola Marymount University Professor of Natural Science Hawley Almstedt and her student Alexandra Hybki. The everyday nutrients found in milk may be the key to helping you size down this year.

People on fad diets or extreme weight loss plans often avoid dairy products because they believe those foods are high in fat. Some dieters go so far as to completely stop consuming dairy products. Research indicates that not only will those dieters not lose weight, but even more importantly, the lack of calcium and dairy will have a harmful impact on bone material density, according to Hybki and Almstedt.