If young women who are new to weightlifting eat enough calories (35–45 per kg of body weight), they get stronger from training—but if they eat too few (15–20 kcal/kg), they might actually lose strength even while training hard.
Scientific Claim
Higher resistance training volume paired with energy intake of 35–45 kcal/kg is associated with greater strength gains in young, untrained women, while lower energy intake (15–20 kcal/kg) is associated with strength loss.
Original Statement
“The interaction between VT and energy intake (kcal/kg) significantly explained changes in △ SUM PT (p = 0.031; R² = 0.29). High individual VT combined with low energy intake (15–20 kcal/kg) led to strength loss, whereas higher energy intake (35–45 kcal/kg) associated with greater VT supported more pronounced strength gains.”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
overstated
Study Design Support
Design cannot support claim
Appropriate Language Strength
association
Can only show association/correlation
Assessment Explanation
The abstract implies causation with phrases like 'led to' and 'supported', but the study design is observational. Without randomization or control, these are associations, not causal effects.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
When women lifted weights more and ate enough calories (35–45 per kg of body weight), they got stronger. But when they lifted a lot but didn’t eat enough (only 15–20 kcal/kg), they actually lost strength.