Rationale and Design for a Higher (Dairy) Protein Weight Loss Intervention That Promotes Muscle Quality and Bone Health in Older Adults with Obesity: A Randomized, Controlled Pilot Study

The effects of a 6-month weight loss intervention on physical function and serum biomarkers in older adults with and without osteoarthritis

“…Free-living older adults were recruited in Durham, North Carolina and surrounding areas using flyers, health fair presentations, and other community outreach as part of an institutional review board (IRB) approved randomized clinical trial (NCT02437643). Methods for this parent trial have been previously published [ 36 ]. Briefly, older (≥60 years of age) men and women with obesity (body mass index (BMI) ≥30 ​kg/m 2 ) and functional impairment (score of 4–10; Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB)) [ 40 ] were enrolled and randomized into one of two weight loss intervention arms using block randomization.…”

“…The OA status of participants was ascertained at baseline, based on a medical history of clinical OA diagnosis. All of the participants who were enrolled in the parent trial [ 36 ] and had provided blood samples were included in this analysis. Preliminary statistical analyses did not show a group-effect of dietary intervention (standard versus higher protein) on outcome measures in this study (approach detailed in statistical analyses section ‘ Impact of Dietary Arm on Outcome Measures’ ).…”

“…Individuals with obesity [ 31 ] or OA [ 4 , [32] , [33] , [34] ] tend to be more sedentary than those without obesity or OA. Excess adiposity in older adults is associated with impaired physical function, loss of independence, and decreased quality of life [ 4 , 31 , [34] , [35] , [36] , [37] ]. Combined, obesity and OA have the capacity to enact a vicious cycle characterized by increasing weight gain, disability, and concomitant reductions in physical function, independence, and quality of life [ 4 , 31 ].…”

“…As such, the goal of this study was to examine the effects of a 6-month weight loss intervention on physical function, inflammatory biomarkers, and metabolic biomarkers in both those with and without OA. Specifically, we performed a secondary analysis of data from a 6-month randomized clinical trial (NCT02437643) designed to investigate the effects of a higher protein hypocaloric diet compared to a standard protein hypocaloric diet on weight loss in older adults with obesity [ 36 ]. We hypothesized that both physical function and OA-related serum biomarker levels would be improved by weight loss in both those with and without clinical OA.…”

Weight Loss Interventions and Skeletal Health in Persons with Diabetes

“…However, another study shows that even combined with high protein intake relative to total energy intake, severe energy restriction (65-75% of energy intake before intervention) still induced bone loss [65]. There is also an ongoing clinical trial to examine the effect of a 6-month high protein (30 g/meal) with caloric restriction intervention on muscle and bone health at 18 months [66].…”