title: Is lost lean mass from intentional weight loss recovered during weight regain in postmenopausal women?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite the well-known recidivism of obesity, surprisingly little is known about the composition of body weight during weight regain.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to determine whether the composition of body weight regained after intentional weight loss is similar to the composition of body weight lost.
  
  
  METHODS
  The design was a follow-up to a randomized controlled trial of weight loss in which body composition was analyzed and compared in 78 postmenopausal women before the intervention, immediately after the intervention, and 6 and 12 mo after the intervention.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All body mass and composition variables were lower immediately after weight loss than at baseline (all P < 0.05). More fat than lean mass was lost with weight loss, which resulted in body-composition changes favoring a lower percentage of body fat and a higher lean-to-fat mass ratio (P < 0.001). Considerable interindividual variability in weight regain was noted (CV = 1.07). In women who regained ≥2 kg body weight, a decreasing trend in the lean-to-fat mass ratio was observed, which indicated greater fat mass accretion than lean mass accretion (P < 0.001). Specifically, for every 1 kg fat lost during the weight-loss intervention, 0.26 kg lean tissue was lost; for every 1 kg fat regained over the following year, only 0.12 kg lean tissue was regained.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although not all postmenopausal women who intentionally lose weight will regain it within 1 y, the data suggest that fat mass is regained to a greater degree than is lean mass in those who do experience some weight regain. The health ramifications of our findings remain to be seen.
authors.affiliation: Section on Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, J Paul Sticht Center on Aging, Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA. kbeavers@wfubmc.edu
authors.forename: Kristen M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Beavers
authors.forename: Mary F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Lyles
authors.forename: Cralen C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: Xuewen
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Daniel P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Beavers
authors.forename: Barbara J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Nicklas
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism*; D000368:Aged; D001823:Body Composition; D001825:Body Fluid Compartments / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism*; D009765:Obesity / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017698:Postmenopause; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000502:physiology*; D015431:Weight Loss / Q000502:physiology*