A high protein diet reduces whole body fat mass in healthy mature female rats, but does not affect whole body bone mineral density

This study compared bone mineral density (BMD) variables of female and male elite dancesport athletes with untrained control subjects of the same gender. Sixty-six elite dancesport athletes (M 33, F 33) and 64 untrained controls (M 34, F 31) participated in this study. Elite dancesport athletes were dancing couples competing at the international level. Whole-body bone mineral content and whole-body, forearm, lumbar-spine, and femoral-neck BMD, as well as whole-body fat mass and fat free mass, were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. There were no differences (p>0.05) in height and body mass between dancers and controls of the same gender, but percent body fat was lower (p<0.05) in dancers of both genders than in untrained controls. Elite dancesport athletes had significantly higher femoral-neck BMD, and male dancers also higher whole-body BMD values when compared with controls of the same gender. All other measured bone mineral values did not differ between the groups of the same gender. In addition, training experience was positively correlated with whole-body BMD (r=0.27; p<0.05) in dancesport athletes. Based on this study, it can be concluded that elite dancesport athletes have higher BMD values at the weight-bearing site (femoral-neck BMD), while other measured areas and whole-body bone mineral values do not differ from the corresponding values of healthy sedentary controls of the same gender. According to our results, low BMD is not an issue for elite female dancesport athletes, despite their lower percent body fat values.

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The Effects of a High-Protein Diet on Bone Mineral Density in Exercise-Trained Women: A 1-Year Investigation

Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology ◽

10.3390/jfmk3040062 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 3 (4) ◽

pp. 62

Author(s):

Jose Antonio ◽

Anya Ellerbroek ◽

Cassandra Carson

Keyword(s):

Bone Mineral Density ◽

Body Composition ◽

Bone Mineral ◽

Mineral Content ◽

High Protein Diet ◽

High Protein ◽

Protein Diet ◽

Whole Body ◽

Mineral Density ◽

One Year

The effects of long-term high-protein consumption (i.e., >2.2 g/kg/day) are unclear as it relates to bone mineral content. Thus, the primary endpoint of this investigation was to determine if consuming a high-protein diet for one year affected various parameters of body composition in exercise-trained women. This investigation is a follow-up to a prior 6-month study. Subjects were instructed to consume a high-protein diet (>2.2 g/kg/day) for one year. Body composition was assessed via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Subjects were instructed to keep a food diary (i.e., log their food ~three days per week for a year) via the mobile app MyFitnessPal®. Furthermore, a subset of subjects had their blood analyzed (i.e., basic metabolic panel). Subjects consumed a high-protein diet for one year (mean ± SD: 2.3 ± 1.1 grams per kilogram body weight daily [g/kg/day]). There were no significant changes for any measure of body composition over the course of the year (i.e., body weight, fat mass, lean body mass, percent fat, whole body bone mineral content, whole body T-score, whole body bone mineral density, lumbar bone mineral content, lumbar bone mineral density and lumbar T-score). In addition, we found no adverse effects on kidney function. Based on this 1-year within-subjects investigation, it is evident that a diet high in protein has no adverse effects on bone mineral density or kidney function.

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