R Li

A Carbohydrate-Restricted Diet during Resistance Training Promotes More Favorable Changes in Body Composition and Markers of Health in Obese Women with and without Insulin Resistance

Abstract Objective: To determine whether sedentary obese women with elevated levels of homeostatic model assessment (HOMA) insulin resistance (ie, > 3.5) experience greater benefits from an exercise + higher-carbohydrate (HC) or carbohydrate-restricted weight loss program than women with lower HOMA levels. Methods: 221 women (age, 46.5 ± 12 years; body weight, 90.3 ± 16 kg; body mass index, 33.8 ± 5 kg/m2) participated in a 10-week supervised exercise and weight loss program. The fitness program involved 30 minutes of circuit-style resistance training 3 days per week. Subjects were prescribed low-fat (30%) isoenergetic diets that consisted of 1200 kcals per day for 1 week (phase 1) and 1600 kcals per day for 9 weeks (phase 2) with HC or higher protein (HP). Fasting blood samples, body composition, anthropometry, resting energy expenditure, and fitness measurements were obtained at 0 and 10 weeks. Subjects were retrospectively stratified into lower (LH) or higher (HH) than 3.5 HOMA groups. Data were analyzed by multivariate analysis of variance with repeated measures and are presented as mean ± standard deviation changes from baseline. Results: Baseline HOMA levels in the LH group were significantly lower than those in the HH group (LH, 0.6 ± 0.7; HH, 6.3 ± 3.4; P = 0.001). Diet and training significantly decreased body weight (−3.5 ± 3 kg), fat mass (−2.7 ± 3 kg), blood glucose (−3%), total cholesterol (−4.5%), low-density lipoproteins (−5%), triglycerides (−5.9%), systolic blood pressure (−2.6%), and waist circumference (−3.7%), while increasing peak aerobic capacity (7.3%). Subjects in the HP group experienced greater weight loss (−4.4 ± 3.6 kg vs −2.6 ± 2.9 kg), fat loss (−3.4 ± 2.7 kg vs −1.7 ± 2.0 kg), reductions in serum glucose (3% vs 2%), and decreases in serum leptin levels (−30.8% vs −10.8%) than those in the HC group. Participants in the HH (−14.1%) and HP-HH (−21.6%) groups observed the greatest reduction in serum blood glucose. Conclusion: A carbohydrate-restricted diet promoted more favorable changes in weight loss, fat loss, and markers of health in obese women who initiated an exercise program compared with a diet higher in carbohydrate. Additionally, obese women who initiated training and dieting with higher HOMA levels experienced greater reductions in blood glucose following an HP diet.

Effects of diet type and supplementation of glucosamine, chondroitin, and MSM on body composition, functional status, and markers of health in women with knee osteoarthritis initiating a resistance-based exercise and weight loss program

BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to determine whether sedentary obese women with knee OA initiating an exercise and weight loss program may experience more beneficial changes in body composition, functional capacity, and/or markers of health following a higher protein diet compared to a higher carbohydrate diet with or without GCM supplementation.MethodsThirty sedentary women (54 ± 9 yrs, 163 ± 6 cm, 88.6 ± 13 kg, 46.1 ± 3% fat, 33.3 ± 5 kg/m2) with clinically diagnosed knee OA participated in a 14-week exercise and weight loss program. Participants followed an isoenergenic low fat higher carbohydrate (HC) or higher protein (HP) diet while participating in a supervised 30-minute circuit resistance-training program three times per week for 14-weeks. In a randomized and double blind manner, participants ingested supplements containing 1,500 mg/d of glucosamine (as d-glucosamine HCL), 1,200 mg/d of chondroitin sulfate (from chondroitin sulfate sodium), and 900 mg/d of methylsulfonylmethane or a placebo. At 0, 10, and 14-weeks, participants completed a battery of assessments. Data were analyzed by MANOVA with repeated measures.ResultsParticipants in both groups experienced significant reductions in body mass (-2.4 ± 3%), fat mass (-6.0 ± 6%), and body fat (-3.5 ± 4%) with no significant changes in fat free mass or resting energy expenditure. Perception of knee pain (-49 ± 39%) and knee stiffness (-42 ± 37%) was decreased while maximal strength (12%), muscular endurance (20%), balance indices (7% to 20%), lipid levels (-8% to -12%), homeostasis model assessment for estimating insulin resistance (-17%), leptin (-30%), and measures of physical functioning (59%), vitality (120%), and social function (66%) were improved in both groups with no differences among groups. Functional aerobic capacity was increased to a greater degree for those in the HP and GCM groups while there were some trends suggesting that supplementation affected perceptions of knee pain (p < 0.08).ConclusionsCircuit style resistance-training and weight loss improved functional capacity in women with knee OA. The type of diet and dietary supplementation of GCM provided marginal additive benefits.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01271218

Periexercise coingestion of branched-chain amino acids and carbohydrate in men does not preferentially augment resistance exercise-induced increases in phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase/protein kinase B-mammalian target of rapamycin pathway markers indicative of muscle protein synthesis

The effects of a single bout of resistance exercise (RE) in conjunction with periexercise branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) and carbohydrate (CHO) ingestion on skeletal muscle signaling markers indicative of muscle protein synthesis were determined. It was hypothesized that CHO + BCAA would elicit a more profound effect on these signaling markers compared with CHO. Twenty-seven males were randomly assigned to CHO, CHO + BCAA, or placebo (PLC) groups. Four sets of leg presses and leg extensions were performed at 80% 1 repetition maximum. Supplements were ingested 30 minutes and immediately before and after RE. Venous blood and muscle biopsy samples were obtained immediately before supplement ingestion and 0.5, 2, and 6 hours after RE. Serum insulin and glucose and phosphorylated levels of muscle insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1), protein kinase B, mammalian target of rapamycin, phosphorylated 70S6 kinase, and 4E binding protein 1 were assessed. Data were analyzed by 2-way repeated-measures analysis of variance. Significant group × time interactions were observed for glucose and insulin (P < .05) showing that CHO and CHO + BCAA were significantly greater than PLC. Significant time main effects were observed for IRS-1 (P = .001), protein kinase B (P = .031), mammalian target of rapamycin (P = .003), and phosphorylated 70S6 kinase (P = .001). Carbohydrate and CHO + BCAA supplementation significantly increased IRS-1 compared with PLC (P = .002). However, periexercise coingestion of CHO and BCAA did not augment RE-induced increases in skeletal muscle signaling markers indicative of muscle protein synthesis when compared with CHO.

Effects of diet cycling during training on weight loss and resting energy expenditure: a preliminary analysis

Background Long-term dieting has been reported to reduce resting energy expenditure (REE) leading to weight regain once the diet has been curtailed. Diets are also difficult to follow for a significant length of time. The purpose of this preliminary proof of concept study was to examine the effects of short-term intermittent dieting during exercise training on REE and weight loss in overweight women.