Exploring the Effects of Greek Yogurt Supplementation and Exercise Training on Serum Lithium and Its Relationship With Musculoskeletal Outcomes in Men

Abstract

Dairy products can act as a dietary source of lithium (Li), and a recent study in university-aged males demonstrated that Greek yogurt (GY) supplementation augmented gains in fat free mass, strength and bone formation after 12 weeks of resistance exercise training compared to carbohydrate (CHO) pudding supplementation. Here, we performed secondary analyses to explore whether GY would alter serum Li levels and whether changes in serum Li would associate with changes in body composition, strength, and bone turnover markers. Results show that the GY group maintained serum Li levels after exercise training, whereas the CHO group did not. Maintaining/elevating serum Li levels was also associated with greater gains in strength and reductions in bone resorption. However, controlling for other dietary factors in GY such as protein and calcium weakened these associations. Thus, future studies should assess the causative role, if any, of dietary Li alone on strength and bone resorption in humans.

Beyond its Psychiatric Use: The Benefits of Low-dose Lithium Supplementation

“…As dairy products, such as Greek yogurt, also contain calcium, protein, phosphorus, and potassium that may also impact musculoskeletal health, we also controlled for these additional components in our analyses. As expected, correlations between serum Li and total strength and the P1NP:CTX ratio were found to be weakened after controlling for these factors [ 91 ]. Nevertheless, our recent findings suggest that dietary Li in Greek yogurt may be an additional component that contributes to muscle and bone anabolism, so future studies should examine the effects of dietary Li and exercise in young and old men and women.…”

“…We presume that this is due to the fact that dairy products, such as yogurt, can act as a dietary source of Li, with Greek yogurt containing 0.07 ± 0.04 mg/kg of Li [ 90 ]. Furthermore, we found maintaining serum Li levels with resistance training to be positively associated with greater gains in total muscle strength and markers of bone turnover [ 91 ]. Specifically, we found changes in serum Li to bepositively associated with the P1NP:CTX ratio, which provides a marker for bone formation over bone resorption.…”