Obesity and sarcopenia are both linked with the present-day dietary and physical activity behaviors, and are known to be worsened as the age increases. Coexisting sarcopenia and obesity are termed as sarcopenic obesity (SO). Increasing protein intake and resistance training (RT) have the potential to check these two conditions.

Nabuco and colleagues conducted a study to determine the effects of whey protein (WP) supplementation in association with RT on body composition, muscular strength, functional capacity, and plasma-metabolism biomarkers in older women with SO. Overall, 26 sarcopenic (appendicular lean soft tissue ALST < 15.02 kg) obese (body fat mass ≥ 35%) older women were included in the study and were randomized to receive either WP (WP group) or placebo (PLA group), combined with supervised RT (8 exercises, 3 × 8-12 rep, 3 times/week), every day, over a 12-week study period. Investigators assessed the blood samples, blood pressure, dietary intake, functional capacity tests, one repetition maximum (1RM) test, and body composition prior to, and after, the intervention.

There were greater increases in ALST (WP = 6.0% vs. PLA = 2.5%) and reduction in total (-3.3% vs. -0.3%) and trunk fat mass (WP = -5.1% vs. PLA = -1.1%) and IL-6 (WP = -34.6% vs. PLA = 9.3%) in WP group (Fig. 1), in comparison with the PLA group. Scores for muscular strength, waist-hip ratio, functional capacity, and other plasma-metabolism biomarkers improved in both the groups. Whey protein supplementation, combined with RT, was thus shown to increase ALST, and decrease total and trunk fat mass. This has implications in improving sarcopenia and decreasing SO in older women.

Fig. 1. Changes in study parameters in WP and placebo groups

1: ALST; 2: Total fat mass; 3: Trunk fat mass; 4: Il-6; Series 1: Whey protein; Series 2: Placebo

Reference

1. Nabuco HCG, Tomeleri CM, Fernandes RR, et al.Effect of whey protein supplementation combined with resistance training on body composition, muscular strength, functional capacity, and plasma-metabolism biomarkers in older women with sarcopenic obesity: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.Clin Nutr ESPEN. 2019 Aug;32:88-95.