The Study
Weight Loss‐Induced Changes in Muscle Protein Turnover in Young Men: Effects of Dietary Protein Intake and Resistance Exercise
This study tested whether eating more protein and doing weightlifting helps young men keep their muscles while losing weight. It found that those who ate more protein and lifted weights kept more muscle than those who didn’t. But it only tested 24 young men for 10 days, so we can’t say it works the same for everyone.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
When people eat less food to lose weight, they often lose muscle too. This study tested if eating more protein and doing weight training helps stop that.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 558 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — eating more protein and lifting weights during dieting can nearly stop muscle loss, making weight loss healthier and more sustainable.
- 2Men who ate 2.4g protein per kg of body weight and lifted weights kept their muscle synthesis almost the same (+14% in exercised leg).
- 3Those who ate only 1.2g/kg and didn't train lost 27% of muscle synthesis.
- 4The trained leg lost 0.1kg of muscle; the untrained leg lost 0.4kg.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
The FASEB Journal
Year
2017
Authors
Amy J. Hector, C. McGlory, Felipe Damas, Stuart M Phillips
Related Content
Claims (7)
People can lose one pound of fat each week while keeping all their muscle mass unchanged.
When calorie intake is lowered, consuming a high-protein diet results in greater lean muscle mass compared to lower-protein diets.
When young men reduce their calorie intake for a short time, eating 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight causes a 27% drop in muscle protein synthesis, but eating 2.4 grams per kilogram along with resistance exercise limits the drop to 14%.
In young, healthy men losing weight through a 40% calorie reduction over 10 days, consuming 2.4 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight with resistance exercise maintains or increases muscle protein synthesis by 14% in the trained muscle, while consuming 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram without exercise reduces muscle protein synthesis by 27%.
During short-term calorie restriction, young men who perform resistance exercise lose less muscle mass in their exercised legs (0.1 kg) compared to their rested legs (0.4 kg), regardless of how much protein they consume.
In young men on a short-term calorie-restricted diet, performing resistance exercise does not change the activity levels of specific genes and proteins known to be involved in muscle breakdown.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.