Muscle hypertrophy with large-scale weight loss and resistance training
Abstract
The combined effects of exercise and energy restriction on changes in body fat and fat-free mass (FFM) are controversial. This study was conducted to determine whether muscle hypertrophy is possible during weight loss. Fourteen obese females received a 3360-kJ/d liquid diet for 90 d. Seven subjects received a weight training (WT) regimen and seven subjects remained sedentary (C). Biopsy samples were obtained from the vastus lateralis muscle at baseline and after 90 d of treatment. The average weight loss over the 90-d period was 16 kg with approximately 24% of the weight loss from FFM and 76% from fat. The amount and composition of the weight loss did not differ between WT and C groups. The cross-sectional area of slow twitch and fast twitch fibers was unchanged by treatment in C subjects but significantly increased in WT subjects. It appears that weight training can produce hypertrophy in skeletal muscle during severe energy restriction and large-scale weight loss.
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In a very-low-calorie diet study that induced a 16-kg weight loss, tissue biopsy revealed muscle hypertrophy in participants who engaged in resistance training compared with non-exercising controls, despite comparable weight losses and changes in body composition.
“More encouraging results were obtained in a VLCD study which induced a 16-kg weight loss. Tissue biopsy revealed muscle hypertrophy in participants who engaged in resistance training, compared with non-exercising controls, despite comparable weight losses and changes in body composition in the two groups [96].”
From The Role of Lifestyle Modification with Second-Generation Anti-obesity Medications: Comparisons, Questions, and Clinical Opportunities (2023) · cites this paper as [96]
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- Authors
- Donnelly, J., Sharp, T., Houmard, J., Carlson, M., Hill, J., Whatley, J., & Israel, R.
- Affiliations
- East Carolina University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Donnelly, JE
- ORCID
- Houmard, J
- Venue
- The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 1993-10
- Volume
- 58
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 561-565
- ISSN
- 0002-9165 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1872592078
- Cited by
- 54
- References
- 31
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 1 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 2 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 0.82
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Muscle metabolism and nutrition
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Muscle Physiology and Disorders
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Nutrition and Health in Aging
- Keywords
- muscle hypertrophy, weight loss, resistance training, caloric restriction, fat-free mass, fat mass, skeletal muscle fiber composition, type I muscle fibers, fast-twitch fibers, cross-sectional area, liquid diet, obesity, women
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Body Composition, Body Weight, Diet, Reducing, Female, Humans, Hypertrophy, Muscles, Obesity, Weight Lifting, Weight Loss
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