Protein-rich diet boosts benefit of exercise

[Guest guest]

Mercola linked to an interesting article in Medical News Today

<http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=29723> and the

study it discusses

<http://www.nutrition.org/cgi/content/abstract/135/8/1903?maxtoshow= & HITS=10 & hit\

s=10 & RESULTFORMAT= & author1=Layman & andorexactfulltext=and & searchid=1125335013439_\

4919 & stored_search= & FIRSTINDEX=0 & sortspec=relevance & resourcetype=1 & journalcode=n\

utrition>

though the full text of the latter isn't available for free.

Here's the abstract of the study.

>>This study examined the interaction of 2 diets (high protein, reduced

>>carbohydrates vs. low protein, high carbohydrates) with exercise on body

>>composition and blood lipids in women (n = 48, 46 y old, BMI = 33 kg/m2)

>>during weight loss. The study was a 4-mo weight loss trial using a 2 x 2

>>block design (Diet x Exercise). Diets were equal in total energy (7.1

>>MJ/d) and lipids (30% energy intake) but differed in protein content and

>>the ratio of carbohydrate:protein at 1.6 g/(kg · d) and <1.5 (PRO group)

>>vs. 0.8 g/(kg · d) and >3.5 (CHO group), respectively. Exercise

>>comparisons were lifestyle activity (control) vs. a supervised exercise

>>program (EX: 5 d/wk walking and 2 d/wk resistance training). Subjects in

>>the PRO and PRO + EX groups lost more total weight and fat mass and

>>tended to lose less lean mass (P = 0.10) than the CHO and CHO + EX

>>groups. Exercise increased loss of body fat and preserved lean mass. The

>>combined effects of diet and exercise were additive for improving body

>>composition. Serum lipid profiles improved in all groups, but changes

>>varied among diet treatments. Subjects in the CHO groups had larger

>>reductions in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, whereas subjects in

>>the PRO groups had greater reductions in triacylglycerol and maintained

>>higher concentrations of HDL cholesterol. This study demonstrated that a

>>diet with higher protein and reduced carbohydrates combined with exercise

>>additively improved body composition during weight loss, whereas the

>>effects on blood lipids differed between diet treatments.

The opening of the article:

>>Everyone knows that a good weight-loss program combines diet and

>>exercise, but a new University of Illinois study reports that exercise is

>>much more effective when it's coupled with a protein-rich diet.

>>

>> " There's an additive, interactive effect when a protein-rich diet is

>>combined with exercise. The two work together to correct body

>>composition; dieters lose more weight, and they lose fat, not muscle, "

>>said Layman, a U of I professor of food science and human nutrition.

>>

>>A higher-carbohydrate, lower-protein diet based on the USDA food guide

>>pyramid actually reduced the effectiveness of exercise, Layman said.

My second-favorite part:

>>The study included two levels of exercise. " For one group, we recommended

>>that they add walking to their lives. They usually walked two to three

>>times a week, less than 100 minutes of added exercise, " the researcher said.

>>

>>The other group was required to engage in five 30-minute walking sessions

>>and two 30-minute weightlifting sessions per week. In both groups of

>>dieters, the required exercise program helped spare lean muscle tissue

>>and target fat loss. But, in the protein-rich, high-exercise group,

>>Layman noted a statistically significant effect. That group lost even

>>more weight, and almost 100 percent of the weight loss was fat, Layman

>>said. In the high-carbohydrate, high-exercise group, as much as 25 to 30

>>percent of the weight lost was muscle.

And what is in a way the best bit:

>> " We believe a diet based on the food guide pyramid actually does not

>>provide enough leucine for adults to maintain healthy muscles. The

>>average American diet contains 4 or 5 grams of leucine, but to get the

>>metabolic effects we're seeing, you need 9 or 10 grams, " he noted.

Obviously leucine isn't the only factor, but this represents a definite

chink in the food pyramid's armor... if it gets wider coverage, anyway.

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[Guest guest]

Great post! I missed that one in the newsletter.

Ron

>

> Mercola linked to an interesting article in Medical News Today

> <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=29723>

> and the

> study it discusses

> <http://www.nutrition.org/cgi/content/abstract/135/8/1903?maxt

> oshow= & HITS=10 & hits=10 & RESULTFORMAT= & author1=Layman & andorexact

> fulltext=and & searchid=1125335013439_4919 & stored_search= & FIRSTI

> NDEX=0 & sortspec=relevance & resourcetype=1 & journalcode=nutrition>

> though the full text of the latter isn't available for free.

>

> Here's the abstract of the study.

>

> >>This study examined the interaction of 2 diets (high

> protein, reduced

[Guest guest]

,

>The other group was required to engage in five 30-minute walking sessions

>and two 30-minute weightlifting sessions per week. In both groups of

>dieters, the required exercise program helped spare lean muscle tissue

>and target fat loss. But, in the protein-rich, high-exercise group,

>Layman noted a statistically significant effect. That group lost even

>more weight, and almost 100 percent of the weight loss was fat, Layman

>said. In the high-carbohydrate, high-exercise group, as much as 25 to 30

>percent of the weight lost was muscle.

>

Thank you for posting this. It is very encouraging.

Deanna

[Guest guest]

Deanna-

> >The other group was required to engage in five 30-minute walking sessions

> >and two 30-minute weightlifting sessions per week. In both groups of

> >dieters, the required exercise program helped spare lean muscle tissue

> >and target fat loss. But, in the protein-rich, high-exercise group,

> >Layman noted a statistically significant effect. That group lost even

> >more weight, and almost 100 percent of the weight loss was fat, Layman

> >said. In the high-carbohydrate, high-exercise group, as much as 25 to 30

> >percent of the weight lost was muscle.

> >

>Thank you for posting this. It is very encouraging.

Glad to help. I think the reporter's bias is kind of funny, though. The

high-carb group's weight loss was 25-30% muscle and the high-protein

group's was 100% fat, and yet this is interpreted to mean that " In both

groups of dieters, the required exercise program helped spare lean muscle

tissue and target fat loss. " I don't know about you, but I don't call

25-30% of weight loss being muscle a muscle-sparing effect!

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[Guest guest]

The other bias I noticed, and that Mercola didn't comment on - it was

talked about as a high protein diet, but the foods they replaced the

carbs with - meat, eggs, dairy & nuts are also high in fat. But THAT

wasn't mentioned at all.

Deb

On 9/15/05, Idol <Idol@...> wrote:

> Glad to help. I think the reporter's bias is kind of funny, though. The

> high-carb group's weight loss was 25-30% muscle and the high-protein

> group's was 100% fat, and yet this is interpreted to mean that " In both

> groups of dieters, the required exercise program helped spare lean muscle

> tissue and target fat loss. " I don't know about you, but I don't call

> 25-30% of weight loss being muscle a muscle-sparing effect!

>

[Guest guest]

>

>Glad to help. I think the reporter's bias is kind of funny, though. The

>high-carb group's weight loss was 25-30% muscle and the high-protein

>group's was 100% fat, and yet this is interpreted to mean that " In both

>groups of dieters, the required exercise program helped spare lean muscle

>tissue and target fat loss. " I don't know about you, but I don't call

>25-30% of weight loss being muscle a muscle-sparing effect!

>

Right. Well, I realized I had to sift through it for bias once I read

about cholesterol lowering in the first paragraph:

" Subjects in the CHO groups had larger reductions in total cholesterol

and LDL cholesterol,

whereas subjects in the PRO groups had greater reductions in

triacylglycerol and maintained

higher concentrations of HDL cholesterol. "

But funny thing is, when I read about muscle loss in the CHO group, my

mind was instantly transported back to the health club scene and

pictures danced in my head of low fat dieting women working at the

aerobics class or stairmaster for hours while always looking flabby no

matter the effort (or maybe partially because of too much cardio, which

can be catabolic).

Deanna

[Guest guest]

Deb-

>The other bias I noticed, and that Mercola didn't comment on - it was

>talked about as a high protein diet, but the foods they replaced the

>carbs with - meat, eggs, dairy & nuts are also high in fat. But THAT

>wasn't mentioned at all.

As a general rule you're right, but the abstract mentioned that total

calories and total lipids (~30% of calories) were held constant, meaning

that only the protein:carb ratios of the two groups were different.

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