Over a 10-year period, a carefully planned diet in adults with obesity has been linked to maintaining muscle mass even while losing a large amount of body fat, suggesting that the balance of...
Mechanism
Synthesis from 1 study
When people with obesity eat a diet high in protein and low in fat for many years, their bodies slow down the process of breaking down muscle for energy, helping them keep their muscle even while losing fat — this is seen in the 10-year study (10.1007/s40519-026-01852-6).
Most probable mechanism
When people with obesity follow a long-term diet that provides enough protein and limits fat, their bodies reduce how much muscle they break down for energy, helping them keep their muscle mass even while losing fat. This is seen in people who stuck to this kind of diet for 10 years, where muscle stayed mostly intact despite big fat loss (10.1007/s40519-026-01852-6).
High dietary protein intake during prolonged energy restriction increases amino acid availability, which suppresses ubiquitin-proteasome-mediated muscle protein breakdown (10.1007/s40519-026-01852-6)
Reduced muscle protein breakdown, combined with maintained mTOR signaling from adequate protein intake, preserves net muscle protein balance despite chronic negative energy balance (10.1007/s40519-026-01852-6)
Low dietary fat intake may reduce systemic inflammation and insulin resistance, indirectly supporting muscle anabolic signaling and reducing catabolic hormone activity (10.1007/s40519-026-01852-6)
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
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