Skip to main content
The Journal of Clinical Investigation logoLink to The Journal of Clinical Investigation
. 1969 Nov;48(11):2124–2128. doi: 10.1172/JCI106179

Effects of weight changes produced by exercise, food restriction, or overeating on body composition

Lawrence B Oscai 1, John O Holloszy 1
PMCID: PMC297466  PMID: 5824075

Abstract

The body weight of rats was reduced by exercise or by restriction of food intake over a period of 18 wk. Body composition was studied to determine if exercise protects against the loss of lean tissue that can occur as a result of a negative caloric balance.

Rats weighing 706 ±14 g were divided into four groups matched for weight. A baseline group was killed at the beginning of the study. An exercising group, fed ad lib., was subjected to a program of swimming. A sedentary, free-eating group was provided with food ad lib. Two sedentary, paired-weight subgroups were calorie restricted so that they lost weight at the same rate as the exercisers. The protein intake of one paired-weight subgroup was matched with that of the exercising group. The other sedentary, paired-weight animals ate the standard diet.

There was no significant difference in body composition between the two sedentary, paired-weight subgroups which were, therefore, pooled for comparison with the other groups. The exercisers lost 182±19 g as a result of both an increase in caloric expenditure and a decrease in appetite. The sedentary, food-restricted animals lost an average of 182±18 g. The sedentary, free-eating animals gained 118±13 g. The carcasses of the exercised animals contained significantly less fat and more lean tissue than those of the sedentary, paired-weight animals, providing evidence for a fat mobilizing and protein conserving effect of exercise. The composition of the body substance lost by the exercising animals was 78% fat, 5% protein, 1% minerals, and 16% water, compared to 62% fat, 11% protein, 1% minerals, and 26% water for the sedentary, food-restricted rats. Fat accounted for 87% and water for 10% of the weight gained by the sedentary, free-eating animals.

Full text

PDF
2124

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. BASU A., PASSMORE R., STRONG J. A. The effect of exercise on the level of non-esterified fatty acids in the blood. Q J Exp Physiol Cogn Med Sci. 1960 Jul;45:312–317. doi: 10.1113/expphysiol.1960.sp001476. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. BROZEK J., GRANDE F., ANDERSON J. T., KEYS A. DENSITOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF BODY COMPOSITION: REVISION OF SOME QUANTITATIVE ASSUMPTIONS. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1963 Sep 26;110:113–140. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1963.tb17079.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. BUSKIRK E. R., THOMPSON R. H., LUTWAK L., WHEDON G. D. ENERGY BALANCE OF OBESE PATIENTS DURING WEIGHT REDUCTION: INFLUENCE OF DIET RESTRICTION AND EXERCISE. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1963 Sep 26;110:918–940. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1963.tb15811.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Crews E. L., 3rd, Fuge K. W., Oscai L. B., Holloszy J. O., Shank R. E. Weight, food intake, and body composition: effects of exercise and of protein deficiency. Am J Physiol. 1969 Feb;216(2):359–363. doi: 10.1152/ajplegacy.1969.216.2.359. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. ENTENMAN C., GOLDWATER W. H., AYRES N. S., BEHNKE A. R., Jr Analysis of adipose tissue in relation to body weight loss in man. J Appl Physiol. 1958 Jul;13(1):129–134. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1958.13.1.129. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. GLICK S. M., ROTH J., YALOW R. S., BERSON S. A. THE REGULATION OF GROWTH HORMONE SECRETION. Recent Prog Horm Res. 1965;21:241–283. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. HAVEL R. J., NAIMARK A., BORCHGREVINK C. F. Turnover rate and oxidation of free fatty acids of blood plasma in man during exercise: studies during continuous infusion of palmitate-1-C14. J Clin Invest. 1963 Jul;42:1054–1063. doi: 10.1172/JCI104791. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hamosch M., Lesch M., Baron J., Kaufman S. Enhanced protein synthesis in a cell-free system from hypertrophied skeletal muscle. Science. 1967 Aug 25;157(3791):935–937. doi: 10.1126/science.157.3791.935. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. JONES E. M., MONTOYE H. J., JOHNSON P. B., MARTIN J. M., VANHUSS W. D., CEDERQUIST D. EFFECTS OF EXERCISE AND FOOD RESTRICTION ON SERUM CHOLESTEROL AND LIVER LIPIDS. Am J Physiol. 1964 Aug;207:460–466. doi: 10.1152/ajplegacy.1964.207.2.460. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. KEYS A., ANDERSON J. T., BROZEK J. Weight gain from simple overeating. I. Character of the tissue gained. Metabolism. 1955 Sep;4(5):427–432. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. KEYS A., BROZEK J. Body fat in adult man. Physiol Rev. 1953 Jul;33(3):245–325. doi: 10.1152/physrev.1953.33.3.245. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. LJUNGGREN H., IKKOS D., LUFT R. The composition of tissue lost through reduction of diet in obese patients. Br J Nutr. 1959;13:485–487. doi: 10.1079/bjn19590062. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. MICKELSEN O., ANDERSON A. A. A method for preparing intact animals for carcass analyses. J Lab Clin Med. 1959 Feb;53(2):282–290. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. MUIR G. G., CHAMBERLAIN D. A., PEDOE D. T. EFFECTS OF BETA-SYMPATHETIC BLOCKADE ON NON-ESTERIFIED-FATTY-ACID AND CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM AT REST AND DURING EXERCISE. Lancet. 1964 Oct 31;2(7366):930–932. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(64)90862-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. PARIZKOVA J. IMPACT OF AGE, DIET, AND EXERCISE ON MAN'S BODY COMPOSITION. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1963 Sep 26;110:661–674. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1963.tb15788.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. RODAHL K., MILLER H. I., ISSEKUTZ B., Jr PLASMA FREE FATTY ACIDS IN EXERCISE. J Appl Physiol. 1964 May;19:489–492. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1964.19.3.489. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. RUSSEK M., PINA S. Conditioning of adrenalin anorexia. Nature. 1962 Mar 31;193:1296–1297. doi: 10.1038/1931296a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. STRONG J. A., PASSMORE R., RITCHIE F. J. Clinical observations on obese patients during a strict reducing regimen. Br J Nutr. 1958;12(1):105–112. doi: 10.1079/bjn19580014. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Schemmel R., Mickelsen O., Tolgay Z. Dietary obesity in rats: influence of diet, weight, age, and sex on body composition. Am J Physiol. 1969 Feb;216(2):373–379. doi: 10.1152/ajplegacy.1969.216.2.373. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Stevenson J. A., Box B. M., Feleki V., Beaton J. R. Bouts of exercise and food intake in the rat. J Appl Physiol. 1966 Jan;21(1):118–122. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1966.21.1.118. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Young C. M., DiGiacomo M. M. Protein utilization and changes in body composition during weight reduction. Metabolism. 1965 Oct;14(10):1084–1094. doi: 10.1016/0026-0495(65)90157-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Investigation are provided here courtesy of American Society for Clinical Investigation

RESOURCES