WEIGHT
MANAGEMENT
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BODY COMPOSITION AND HEALTH
During health evaluations, to determine the optimization of health and performance, body composition is one measurement out of many anthropometric measurements including BMI, circumference/girth, height, weight, and stature measurements. The BMI and girth measurements using a scale and tape measure to calculate body composition are simple for most professionals, but fat distribution, water weight, bone density, muscle density, and genetics affect the results of the measurements and how results fall on the comparison chart. A very muscular and short athlete will most likely fall into the category of overweight, but their sport requires them to be larger statured with high amounts of muscle for performance. A very sedentary person with little muscle mass, who evenly distributes their body fat can fall into the healthy/athletic category. They could have diseases due to a sedentary lifestyle, smoking, low bone density, or other health conditions. Since many factors can cause inaccuracies with circumference measurements and BMI, skinfold measurements are the most commonly used. It is more accurate than BMI and it is inexpensive and easy to complete (Jeukendrup & Gleeson, 2018).
When considering body composition measurements for practical applications, cost, accuracy, and time need to be calculated. Skinfold caliper calculations and BIA are recommended in most practices and workplaces until we have more accessible and accurate technology. Practitioners can control measuring technique, time of day, and the amount of liquids participants ingest to increase accuracy during measurements (Tewari et al., 2018). In any environment, the practitioners should consider using a multi-factorial approach to health, wellness, and fitness measurements.
CIRCUMFERANCE MEASUREMENTS AND POST-MENOPAUSAL WOMEN
Vascular adipose tissue (fat tissue around the organs) cannot be well measured or predicted by BMI. The gold standard to measure clients body fat % is measured by a 3-component or 4-component high end device. Researchers are theorizing gold-standard categories for circumference measurements to predict vascular adipose tissue, since DXA scans and CT scans are not easily accessible to measure body fat %. Circumference measurements have become the most accessible gold-standard for prediction of cardiovascular disease and type two diabetes. In Seimon et al. (2018) study post-menopausal women participated in a MRIs and three locations for waist circumference measurements. Researchers compared vascular adipose tissue results from the MRI and waist circumference measurements. The waist circumference at the narrowest part of the waist and the circumference measurements at the mid torso are the most accurate predictors of vascular adipose tissue compared to the MRI results (Seiman et al., 2018). When predicting vascular adipose tissue or the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease BMI and circumference measurement should be considered when giving health and weight recommendations to clients/patients.
There is no set standard for ideal BMI or body fat percentage for athletes. Body size and body fat percentage should be sport specific. For example, divers, swimmers, runners and skiers desire low body fat percentage to improve power-to-mass ratios or for aesthetics. Football players need higher mass for force production. BMI is also an inaccurate indicator of health for athletes and active adults, because muscle mass weighs more than fat mass. The leaner tissue an active adult has and the shorter the adult the less accurate BMI measurements are for predicting other health outcomes like cardiovascular disease ( Jeukendrup & Gleeson, 2018).
INCREASING WIEGHT
AND MUSCLE MASS
The type of protein an athlete consumes is important for weight gain. Whey isolate protein has proven to be superior to casein, leucine or soy. In the journal of strength and conditioning, Escobar, et at (2015), reviewed the impact of whey protein with a resistance training program in three different studies. A study done in 2007 divided ten recreational bodybuilders into three groups. Group one consumed only whey protein, group two consumed whey plus carbohydrates and group three consumed whey, carbohydrates and creatinine. Whey protein was consumed in every group and the groups averaged from 1.5g - 2.5g of protein isolate per kilogram of body weight. They supplemented three times a day and they followed a 10 week periodized resistance training plan. All of the participants gained 5 kg of lean body mass (LBM) in ten weeks. In the second study reviewed in Escabar, et al, 2012 article, thirteen recreation bodybuilders participants did a ten-week study and group one consumed whey protein and the second group consumed casein protein. They consumed 1.5g- 2.1g of protein per kg of body weight in small doses four times a day. Both groups gained lean body mass, but the group that consumed whey gained 5g of LBM per kg of body weight versus the casein group only gained 1g of lean body mass per kg of body weight. The last study reviewed by Escabar, et al (2012), studied the effects of whey protein and casein with amino acid supplements. The control group was given a placebo dextrose supplement. They consumed the supplements one hour before training and immediately after training. Again, participants that consumed whey protein gained 5kg of LBM per kg of body weight in 6 weeks and the placebo group only gained an average of 2kg of LBM per kg of body weight (Escobar et al., 2015).
Protein synthesis is elevated for an hour or two after exercise due to substrate availability in the muscle, but muscle degradation also increases if proper nutrition is not met. Ingesting protein in that window can improve muscle recovery and increase muscle protein synthesis. Muscle breakdown decreases when proper proteins and carbohydrates are ingested after exercise, because the influx shifts the muscles from an catabolic state to an anabolic state due to an increase in insulin, decrease cortisol and decrease in catabolic hormones. The muscle insulin sensitivity after exercise promotes rapid uptake of blood glucose and amino acid, muscle glucose storage and protein synthesis. According to research done by Ivy & Schoenfeld (2014), post exercise consumption of protein and carbohydrates improved lean body mass and muscle fiber cross-sectional area by 40-120% and 30-100% compared to late protein consumption following resistance training (Ivy & Schoenfeld, 2014).
Research is divided as to when protein timing impacts muscle protein synthesis. Is it beneficial for DJ to consume such a high amount of protein before bed? Trommelen & Van Loon (2016) conclude that ingestion of at least 40g of protein before bed augments muscle mass increases and strength increases. Amino acids need to be available in order to decrease protein degeneration. Protein synthesis rates during a long night sleep were low and adding protein during the day had very little impact on protein reconditioning during sleep. When protein was digested before bed protein synthesis rates were approximately 22% higher during overnight recovery. More research needs to be completed on what type of protein and whether the influence of muscle protein are from daily increases or specially from the timing of the protein (Trommelen & Van Loop, 2016).
There is a strong argument that protein timing may not influence muscle synthesis as much as we think. It is clear that increases in daily protein influences endurance athletes and strength athletes, but it may be do to a general increase throughout a 24-hour period Hoffman et al (2009), split two groups of men into a group that drank a protein supplement in the morning and evening and a second group that drank protein supplements before and after exercise. Both groups did not take any other additional supplements. There was an increase in muscular strength in both groups and there was no significant difference between the timing of the protein (Hoffman et al., 2009).
In Norton & Wilson (2009) study argues that athletes should consume high amounts of protein per day for energy balance and short- term nitrogen balance to meet the need for protein synthesis. Athletes reported consuming as much as 4g of protein per kg of body weight a day. The authors used leucine as a marker for protein synthesis after a meal. Leucine is an amino acid that plays a key role in protein synthesis and has just as much of an impact on muscle recovery and muscle mass increase as whey protein. The author argues that the more active an athlete is the more beneficial it is for additional leucine intake because it is a key factor in anabolic response that leads to muscle protein synthesis. Although DJ will gain lean muscle mass from the high amounts of whey protein, Norton & Wilson (2009) would argue that natural forms of amino acid found in chicken, eggs and meats will increase his muscle mass faster.
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