Weekly Research in Review. 8/31/19

[great_depression]

Everything posted is pulled from what the top researchers in the community have shared this week on social media. Some studies you may be familiar with already and some are pretty recent.

As the conversation around caffeine research is calming down, the discussion of Keto is starting to pick up. A new Examine article will be released soon examining the keto diet from hopefully an impartial perspective. So be on the lookout for it.

Solid general guidelines for protein consumption across different populations - Shared by Brad Schoenfeld (Image)

Solid general guidelines for protein consumption across different populations. Some things to keep in mind about protein consumption:⁣
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- The RDA guidelines are for sedentary individuals; exercise substantially increases protein requirements⁣

• Research shows that even for sedentary individuals protein requirements are underestimated⁣
• Older individuals require higher per-meal intake of a high quality protein source to reach the leucine threshold for anabolism⁣
• It is difficult to gain body fat from eating protein⁣
• Higher protein consumption becomes increasingly more important when in a caloric deficit to avoid losing lean tissue mass⁣
• There is no credence to the claim that higher protein intakes are harmful to kidney function in those with healthy kidneys⁣

Can you lift too light to maximize hypertrophy? - Shared by Brad Schoenfeld (Image via Instagram)

It is now well-established that lifting relatively light weights can substantially increase muscle development. However, the question arises as to whether there is minimum threshold below which growth is compromised. Our study set out to determine if such a threshold exists. As shown in the infographic, a load equating to 20% 1RM was suboptimal for eliciting a hypertrophic response compared to loads >40%. ⁣
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A caveat to the findings is that we equated volume load between conditions. Since the lowest load condition performed a lot more repetitions to reach failure, we thus had to add more sets to the heavier load conditions to equate the total work performed; although somewhat speculative, it is likely that hypertrophy would have been more similar across conditions if the sets were equated as opposed to volume load. It also is important to note that subjects were untrained; thus, we cannot necessarily generalize findings to those with extensive resistance training experience. ⁣
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Bottom line: The evidence indicates that yes, you can go too light when the goal is muscle-building, and the approximate amount is estimated to be ~20% 1RM. You can download the study on my Researchgate page.

Vitamin D study: "Among healthy adults, supplementation with higher doses of vitamin D did not improve bone health."

Study link

Article.

Recent examine article on Low fat vs Low carb

A year-long randomized clinical trial (DIETFITS) has found that a low-fat diet and a low-carb diet produced similar weight loss and improvements in metabolic health markers. Furthermore, insulin production and tested genes had no impact on predicting weight loss success or failure. Thus, evidence to date indicates you should choose your diet based on personal preferences, health goals, and sustainability.

A closer look at the Keto Diet - Shared by Sports Dietitian Nutritionist - Marie Spano (Image via Instagram)

• As depicted here, a recent editorial in JAMA [1] built a strong case for the reader to calm down and not fall for the hype surrounding the keto diet. This paper was a refreshing break from other editorial-type articles that exude religious exhaltation for the keto diet.
• This JAMA article is not available in free full text, so I quoted key excerpts (which are likely to upset some people). Keep in mind that I personally am not anti-keto. I’m just anti-dietary zealotry. Read the ISSN Position Stand [2] for my thoughts on keto & other diets in-depth.
• Carbohydrate reduction is a good idea for type 2 diabetics, but restriction to ketogenic levels has questionable sustainability as an independent self-treatment option. I’ll quote the findings of a recent meta-analysis of RCTs by Huntriss et al [3]:
• “Adherence appeared to be particularly problematic for those studies who set out to achieve a very low-carbohydrate diet (

 

[rwj]

@great_depression These threads are great, keep up the good work!

 

[trumpeter2]

@great_depression

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Well, I will always argue against Keto but protein is known to release PYY (i.e. it does more than just increase insulin, GYY is more satiety) and the representation of the insulin model is a weak strawman.

 

[hrse2wtr]

@great_depression The aging part is quite frankly not supported by the greater body of research. Protein consumption upregulates MTOR. What is great for bodybuilding (inflammation, IGF-1) is not great for aging.

 

[natus]

@hrse2wtr I’d say it’s more of a debate between anti-aging (minimizing MTOR up regulation) and preserving quality of life/self-sufficiency (minimizing sarcopenia/ starting with a higher base level of muscle mass when age related sarcopenia kicks in).

What’s good for a longer life may not be the best option for maintaining independence later in life.

 

[hrse2wtr]

@natus I would make the argument that you could avoid sarcopenia with modest protein intake and resistance training.

The vast majority of muscular gains are had in the first few years anyways, from there a protein surplus isnt going to be doing much anyways.

The idea of consuming above 1g/lb for aging purposes in any capacity is quite frankly ludicrous.

 

[natus]

@hrse2wtr I’d agree 1g/lb body weight is excessive but closer to 1.2-1.4g/kg body weight seems to be supported by the literature. https://academic.oup.com/advances/article/9/3/171/4964951

 

[dpardue]

@great_depression Mailing list for these?

 

[great_depression]

@dpardue If enough request it

 

[dj]

@great_depression This protein intake article (https://muscleevo.net/how-much-protein-build-muscle/) which was based off a meta study doesn’t recommend the same daily protein intake as the chart posted on this thread. Is it wrong?

 

[akadouble]

@dj Maybe you should check out the requirements for the subjects in the meta study?

Do they separate them based on age, experience etc.

 

[dj]

@akadouble Good point, I’ll check them out.