Protein intake and lean body mass preservation during energy intake restriction in overweight older adults

• Published in: International Journal of Obesity Vol. 40; no. 2; pp. 299 - 304
• Main Authors: Backx, E M P, Tieland, M, Borgonjen-van den Berg, K J, Claessen, P R, van Loon, L J C, de Groot, L C P G M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.02.2016; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 692/699/1702/393; 692/700/2814; 692/700/2817; Adults; Body Composition; Body mass; Body Mass Index; Body weight; Body weight loss; Chair Nutrition and Disease; Chair Nutrition and Health over the Lifecourse; Compliance; Diet; Diet, Reducing - adverse effects; Diet, Reducing - methods; Dietary intake; Dietary Proteins; Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry; Energy; Energy Intake; Epidemiology; Exercise; Exercise - physiology; Female; Global Nutrition; Health Promotion and Disease Prevention; High protein diet; HNE Nutrition and Disease; HNE Nutrition and Health over the Lifecourse; HNE Voeding en Gezondheid in de Levenscyclus; HNE Voeding en Ziekte; Humans; Internal Medicine; Lean body mass; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Men; Metabolic Diseases; Middle Aged; Muscle strength; Muscle Strength - physiology; Muscle, Skeletal - metabolism; Muscles; Nutrition and Disease; Nutrition research; Obesity; Older people; original-article; Overweight; Overweight - physiopathology; Overweight - prevention & control; Physical activity; Physiological aspects; Preservation; Proteins; Public Health; Skeletal muscle; Treatment Outcome; VLAG; Voeding en Ziekte; Weight control; Weight Loss; Wereldvoeding; Women; Netherlands
• ISSN: 0307-0565; 1476-5497
• DOI: 10.1038/ijo.2015.182

Background: Dietary-induced weight loss is generally accompanied by a decline in skeletal muscle mass. The loss of muscle mass leads to a decline in muscle strength and impairs physical performance. A high dietary protein intake has been suggested to allow muscle mass preservation during energy intake restriction. Objective: To investigate the impact of increasing dietary protein intake on lean body mass, strength and physical performance during 12 weeks of energy intake restriction in overweight older adults. Design: Sixty-one overweight and obese men and women (63±5 years) were randomly assigned to either a high protein diet (HP; 1.7 g kg −1 per day; n= 31) or normal protein diet (NP; 0.9 g kg −1 per day; n= 30) during a 12-week 25% energy intake restriction. During this controlled dietary intervention, 90% of the diet was provided by the university. At baseline and after the intervention, body weight, lean body mass (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry), leg strength (1-repetition maximum), physical performance (Short Physical Performance Battery, 400 m) and habitual physical activity (actigraph) were assessed. Results: Body weight declined in both groups with no differences between the HP and NP groups (−8.9±2.9 versus −9.1±3.4 kg, respectively; P =0.584). Lean body mass declined by 1.8±2.2 and 2.1±1.4 kg, respectively, with no significant differences between groups ( P =0.213). Leg strength had decreased during the intervention by 8.8±14.0 and 8.9±12.8 kg, with no differences between groups ( P =0.689). Physical performance as measured by 400 m walking speed improved in both groups, with no differences between groups ( P =0.219). Conclusions: Increasing protein intake above habitual intake levels (0.9 g kg −1 per day) does not preserve lean body mass, strength or physical performance during prolonged energy intake restriction in overweight older adults.