A new study at Wake Forest Medical Center affirms an old formula: seniors who want to lose weight should hit the weight room while cutting calories.
The researchers report that seniors who performed resistance training while dieting lost fat but preserved most of their lean muscle mass in comparison to those who walked for exercise.
Assistant Professor Kristen Beavers, a lead researcher in health and exercise sciences at Wake Forest University, noted that “Our findings show if your treatment goal is to maximize fat loss and minimize lean mass loss, the resistance training is probably the way to go.”
Excess pounds significantly contribute to frailty and disability in old age, but there’s concern that dieting alone might rob older adults of the muscle they need to maintain mobility and independence.
To suss out the best way for seniors to lose weight, Beavers and her colleagues randomly assigned 249 people, average age 67, to one of three different weight-loss groups. The findings were published in the November issue of the journal Obesity.
All of the groups went on a diet, but the second and third groups also exercised four days a week. The second group lifted weights; the third walked briskly.
After 18 months, the resistance training and aerobic groups both had lost more fat than those who only dieted – 17 and 15 pounds – versus 10 pounds in the latter group. But the resistance training group maintained more of their muscle mass, losing only 1.7 pounds of lean mass compared with 3.5 pounds of muscle lost in the walking group and 2.2 pounds in the diet-only group.
Minimizing the loss of muscle is important not only for protecting seniors’ mobility and independence, but also as insurance if they eventually put pounds back on.
Acknowledging that older adults tend to regain fat mass, Beavers noted, “When they’re losing weight, they’re losing some bone and muscle along with fat. When they’re regaining weight, they’re putting back more fat than they lost. You’d like to lose as little lean mass as possible. Resistance training helps maintain, or even increases, your lean body mass.”
Beavers advised that seniors who’ve lost weight and want to keep the pounds off should commit themselves to regular exercise. They also need to keep eating right by including lots of vegetables and fruits, which are great sources of fiber. It includes healthy fats and does not include a lot of refined sugar or refined grains. It includes enough protein to spare your muscles.
Kristen Beavers, Ph.D., assistant professor, health and exercise science, Wake Forest University