Consumption of higher dairy and dietary protein during diet‐ and exercise‐induced weight loss promotes a metabolically favourable body composition change in overweight and obese young women

While diet and exercise induced body weight loss has significant health benefits, the ratio of fat:lean tissue loss may be more important. We aimed to determine how daily exercise and different hypoenergetic diets, varying in protein and calcium, affected changes in the tissue composition of weight lost in otherwise healthy young, overweight and obese women over 16wk. Ninety subjects were randomized to 3 groups (n=30 ea): HiDairyPro (HDP), DairyPro (DP) and Control (CON). They differed in the type of protein consumed (high, moderate or low dairy, respectively) and amount (30%, 15% and 15% of energy, respectively). Body composition (DXA) was measured at 0, 8 and 16wk, and a subset of subjects (n=39) underwent MRI to assess visceral adipose tissue (VAT) volume at 0 and 16wk. All groups lost body weight and fat (P<0.05, for all), however, the net loss of fat during 8–16wk was greater in HDP versus DP and CON. HDP gained muscle with a greater increase during 8–16wk than the other groups while DP maintained muscle and CON lost muscle. HDP also lost more VAT versus CON. We conclude that diet and exercise induced weight loss regimens with higher dairy, calcium and protein versus those without promoted weight loss in women with a more metabolically favourable body composition change characterised by greater total and visceral fat loss and muscle mass gain. Grant Funding Source : The Dairy Farmers of Canada, CIHR, and The US Dairy Research Institute