Exercise First, Diet Later to Spare Muscle Mass

Women with metabolic syndrome (MetS) should start weight loss attempts with exercise, followed by dieting to prevent loss of lean muscle mass, according to a new study.

In MetS patients, periods of weight loss are often followed by periods of gain, making weight loss a continuing issue. During times of dieting, lean muscle mass is lost, and with each new weight loss attempt, patients risk increased frailty and disability.  
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In order to reevaluate recommended MetS treatment methods, researchers at the Institute of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Hypertension of Tel Aviv Medical Center in Israel enrolled 38 patients between 19 and 71 years old with MetS in a 1-year intervention program.

During the intervention, participants underwent dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry bone scans to determine body composition. Researchers found that at the end of the study, women and men less than 53 years old lost 11% and 10% of their body weight, respectively. Women and men over 53 years old both lost about 6% of their body weight.

Younger women lost 5% of their muscle mass during the study, while younger men lost only 1%. Both older men and women lost about 3% of their muscle mass.

Researchers found that participants that began exercise before dieting gained or lost less than 2.9% of their muscle mass.

"To preserve muscle in metabolic syndrome, irrespective of age, exercise should precede the initiation of weight loss and not be started at the same time as diet," researchers concluded.

The study was presented at the 2014 annual meeting of the International Society of Endocrinology and the Endocrine Society: ICE/ENDO 2014.

–Michael Potts

Endocrine Society. Exercising First, Dieting Later Protects Patients with Metabolic Syndrome from Muscle Loss [press release]. June 22, 2014. http://www.newswise.com/articles/exercising-first-dieting-later-protects-patients-with-metabolic-syndrome-from-muscle-loss. Accessed June 23, 2014.