DIETARY PROTEIN AND BODY COMPOSITION IN OLDER WOMEN

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. It has been hypothesized that energy and/or protein malnutrition is a contributing factor to age-related loss of muscle mass and subsequent loss of physical function. Even if the RDA is adequate for weight stable older adults, relatively low dietary protein intakes might contribute to sarcopenia in the context of weight loss and weight cycling. Thus, diets that may provide adequate protein when consumed at eucaloric levels may be protein deficient when consumed at amounts to achieve weight loss. We propose to conduct a pilot study, which will allow us to gather preliminary data to calculate accurate sample sizes for the design of a randomized controlled clinical trial to test whether a protein intake twice the RDA will attenuate the loss of lean body mass seen in response to a standard protein hypocaloric diet in older, overweight and obese women. The primary outcome will be the relative amount of lean mass lost in relation to the total amount of weight lost. We also will assess secondary outcomes related to muscle quality, cardiovascular risk factors, and physical function to gather insight into the role of protein intake in modulating these factors. For the pilot study we plan to enroll 12 older, overweight or obese women and place them on a hypocaloric diet.