Overweight and obesity is a worldwide health problem which are linked to a plethora of age associated chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension and certain cancers. Lifestyle modifications including calorie-restricted diet and/or exercise are effective, non-invasive strategies to combat this burden. However, due to the age-associated muscle atrophy, consisting of reduced muscle functional status and anabolic resistance, calorie restriction to combat obesity is complicated by concomitant loss of skeletal muscle strength and function. Furthermore, in recent times, due to reasons of sustainability and health, there have been substantial attention on the use of alternative proteins to meet dietary protein requirements.~While increased intake of animal proteins is effective in preserving lean muscle mass, to what extent they apply for plant proteins are still a matter of intense debate. Therefore, in this study we will evaluate and compare two distinct calorie restricted dietary interventions, one predominantly consisting of plant-based proteins and another predominantly consisting of animal-based proteins, both supplemented with increased exercise, on their effectiveness to reduce body fat and preserving lean muscle mass. This will be a 16 week, parallel design, randomized dietary intervention trial, in older Chinese adults, with each volunteer being provided with 2 of their 3 main meals per day, along with a mid-morning beverage, made predominantly of either plant protein or animal protein sources and being asked to undertake 3 hours of additional exercise per week. More details provided in sections below.
Overweight and obesity (i.e., excess body fat) is a worldwide health problem, which predisposes individuals to various metabolic diseases. Weight loss through lifestyle modifications such as dietary calorie restrictions and/or exercise are effective approaches to reduce excess body fat. However, lean muscle mass loss is often an undesired outcome associated with weight loss, which should be avoided, particularly in older adults, who are also faced with declining anabolic responses to dietary protein intake. Given the increased interest and popularity of plant-based diets, in this study we will compare two distinct calorie-restricted, weight loss diets, both supplemented with weekly exercise, predominantly consisting of either plant-based proteins or animal-based proteins on changes in total body weight, body fat and lean muscle mass, as well as associated changes in metabolic health.