Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. In this 13-week study of 60 obese adults, those who exercised and supplemented with whey protein, leucine, and vitamin D, had a significant 4.4% increase in muscle mass compared to the placebo group.

When older adults participate in weight loss programs, a potential drawback is losing muscle mass as well as fat mass (1). This can produce a condition in the elderly called sarcopenia (2). Sarcopenia impairs physical function and activities of daily living and increases the risk of falling and physical disabilities (3). As a result, finding ways to help the elderly preserve their muscle mass during weight loss programs can be very important. Now a new study (4) suggests a supplement may help maintain muscle mass during a weight loss program.

The study involved 60 obese adults (28 men, 32 women) aged 57 to 70 with a Body Mass Index between 29 and 36 kg/m2. They consumed a diet of 600 fewer calories per day (5) than their metabolism warranted. They also performed weight training three times per week that consisted of a 10-minute warm-up on a bicycle ergometer followed by three sets of 20 repetitions of 10 exercises and ending with a 5-minute cool-down on the bicycle.

During this 13-week program, subjects received either a 150-calorie supplement containing 20.7 grams of whey protein, 2.8 grams of the amino acid leucine, and 800 IU vitamin D or a 150-calorie placebo. This supplement/placebo was consumed 10 times per week, once after breakfast, and once after each weight training workout.

After 13 weeks, the following results were observed regarding weight loss and fat loss:

What Was Measured Whey/Leucine/Vit DPlacebop value
Bodyweight
(kilograms)
3.6% decrease
(96.7 to 93.3)
3.1% decrease
(93.2 to 90.4)
< 0.001
Body Mass Index
(kg/m2)
3.7% decrease
(32.8 to 31.6)
3.1% decrease
(33.1 to 32.1)
< 0.001
Waist Circumference
(centimeters)
4% decrease
(111 to 106.6)
3.1% decrease
(109 to 105.3)
< 0.001
Fat Mass (kg)8.3% decrease
(38.6 to 35.4)
6.5% decrease
(38.5 to 36.0)
< 0.001
Fat percentage (%)8.6% decrease
(40.8 to 37.3)
3.9% decrease
(41.4 to 39.8) < 0.001
< 0.001

But an even greater significant difference was seen regarding muscle mass, with the supplement group experiencing a 2.1% increase in their overall muscle mass (23.2 to 23.7 kilograms) compared to a 2.3% decrease in the placebo group (22.6 to 22.1 kilograms, p = 0.03).

For the researchers, “A high whey protein–, leucine-, and vitamin D–enriched supplement…preserves muscle mass in obese older adults during a hypocaloric diet and resistance exercise program and might therefore reduce the risk of sarcopenia.”

Source: Verreijen, Amely M., et al. “A high whey protein–, leucine-, and vitamin D–enriched supplement preserves muscle mass during intentional weight loss in obese older adults: a double-blind randomized controlled trial.” The American journal of clinical nutrition 101.2 (2015): 279-286.

© 2014 by the American Society for Nutrition

Posted May 7, 2015.

Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY.  You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com.

References:

  1. Houston DK, Nicklas BJ, Zizza CA. Weighty concerns: the growing prevalence of obesity among older adults. J Am Diet Assoc 2009;109: 1886–95
  2. Villareal DT, Apovian CM, Kushner RF, Klein S. Obesity in older adults: technical review and position statement of the American Society for Nutrition and NAASO, The Obesity Society. Obes Res 2005; 13:1849–63
  3. Wolfe RR. The underappreciated role of muscle in health and disease. Am J Clin Nutr 2006;84:475–82
  4. Verreijen AM. A high whey protein-, leucine-, and vitamin D-enriched supplement preserves muscle mass during intentional weight loss in obese older adults: a double-blind randomized controlled trial.  Am J Clin Nutr 2015 Feb;101(2):279-86. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.114.090290. Epub 2014 Nov 26
  5. Guideline diagnostics and treatment of obesity in adults and children. Utrecht (The Netherlands): Dutch Institute for Healthcare Improvement CBO; 2008.