The Role of Dietary Protein in Body Weight Regulation among Active-Duty Military Personnel during Energy Deficit: A Systematic Review

Public Deposited
Analytics

Downloadable Content

Download PDF
Request Version for Screen Reader
Creator
  • Anderson R.E., 3rd
    • Affiliation: Gillings School of Global Public Health, Department of Nutrition
  • Casperson S.L.
    • Other Affiliation: U.S. Department of Agriculture
  • Kho H.
    • Other Affiliation: University of Kentucky
  • Flack K.D.
    • Other Affiliation: University of Kentucky
Abstract
  • Active-duty military personnel are subjected to sustained periods of energy deficit during combat and training, leaving them susceptible to detrimental reductions in body weight. The importance of adequate dietary protein intake during periods of intense physical training is well established, where previous research has primarily focused on muscle protein synthesis, muscle recovery, and physical performance. Research on how protein intake may influence body weight regulation in this population is lacking; therefore, the objective of this review was to evaluate the role of dietary protein in body weight regulation among active-duty military during an energy deficit. A literature search based on fixed inclusion and exclusion criteria was performed. English language peer-reviewed journal articles from inception to 3 June 2023 were selected for extraction and quality assessment. Eight studies were identified with outcomes described narratively. The study duration ranged from eight days to six months. Protein was directly provided to participants in all studies except for one. Three studies supplied additional protein via supplementation. The Downs and Black Checklist was used to assess study quality. Five studies were classified as good, two as fair, and one as excellent. All studies reported mean weight loss following energy deficit: the most severe was 4.0 kg. Protein dose during energy deficit varied from 0.5 g/kg/day to 2.4 g/kg/day. Six studies reported mean reductions in fat mass, with the largest being 4.5 kg. Four studies reported mean reductions in fat-free mass, while two studies reported an increase. Results support the recommendation that greater than 0.8 g/kg/day is necessary to mitigate the impact of energy deficit on a decline in lean body mass, while intakes up to 1.6 g/kg/day may be preferred. However, exact recommendations cannot be inferred as the severity and duration of energy deficit varied across studies. Longer and larger investigations are needed to elucidate protein’s role during energy deficit in active-duty military.
Date of publication
Keyword
DOI
Identifier
Resource type
  • Article
License
  • Attribution 4.0 International
Journal title
  • Nutrients
Journal volume
  • 15
Journal issue
  • 18
Language
  • English
Version
  • Publisher
Funder
  • U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA, (3062-51000-057-00D)
ISSN
  • 2072-6643
Publisher
  • Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)

Relations

Parents:

This work has no parents.

In Collection:

Items

Thumbnail Title Date Uploaded Visibility Actions
file details nutrients-15-03948.pdf 2023-10-06 Public Download