Why do guys lose more weight than girls in army training?
Limited Sex Differences in Energy Balance and Body Composition during 61+D of US Army Ranger Training
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Boys and girls in army training eat and burn similar amounts of energy, but their bodies change differently: boys lose more overall weight, girls keep more muscle.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
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Evidence Score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Boys and girls in army training eat and burn similar amounts of energy, but their bodies change differently: boys lose more overall weight, girls keep more muscle.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 546 / 72
Evidence Score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Publication
Authors
McClung HL, Oliver TE, Goldenstein SJ, Farina EK, Hatch-McChesney A, Giersch GEW, Heaton KJ, Ripperger MR, Greenfield AM, Karis AJ, Bartlett PM, Walker LA, Munoz R, Corona PJ, Sczuroski CE, Zepettelli DJ, Nguyen VT, Oppenheimer AV, Gwin JA
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Claims (6)
Over time, changes in body fat mass result from the consistent difference between the amount of energy consumed and the amount of energy expended.
During intense military training, women tend to eat more calories than men, but both end up with similar energy deficits, suggesting their bodies may process or use energy differently.
During the beginning of intense military training, male soldiers burn more calories per day than female soldiers, but by the end of training, both sexes burn similar amounts of energy, indicating that the body adjusts its energy use over time.
Men and women soldiers start with different body compositions: men typically have more total body weight and lean tissue, while women have more body fat. These differences remain during intense military training, except for body fat, which becomes similar between genders by the end.
Male and female soldiers experience the same degree of energy deficit during intense military training, even though their total food intake and energy use differ, suggesting that the body's regulation of energy balance operates similarly in both sexes under extreme physical stress.