Losing 5% of body weight quickly makes muscle damage worse than just training hard without losing weight.
Scientific Claim
In male wrestlers, rapid weight loss of 5% is associated with a greater elevation in muscle damage biomarkers than high-intensity sport-specific training without weight loss.
Original Statement
“Higher levels of almost all biomarkers were observed in the phase that included RWL compared to the second phase, with a greater significance level.”
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 ('impacted', 'influence') but the crossover design lacks confirmation of randomization or blinding. Only association can be claimed.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
Acute muscle damage as a metabolic response to rapid weight loss in wrestlers
Wrestlers who lost 5% of their body weight quickly had more muscle damage than when they only trained hard without losing weight, so the weight loss made their muscles more damaged.