Metabolic effects of repeated weight loss and regain in adolescent wrestlers
S. N. Steen, R. A. Oppliger and K. D. Brownell
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia 19104.
This study examined resting metabolic rate in adolescent wrestlers to test
the hypothesis that repeated cycles of weight loss and regain would be
associated with reduced energy requirements. Energy restriction lowers
resting metabolic rate in normal-weight and obese persons. Repeated cycles
of weight loss and regain can increase food efficiency, defined as the
degree of weight change per unit of food intake, in animals. Many wrestlers
lose weight repeatedly as they "cut weight" for matches. This cycle of
weight loss and regain may affect their resting metabolism. Twenty-seven
wrestlers were classified as cyclers or non-cyclers based on their weight
loss history. Resting metabolic rate was measured using indirect
calorimetry and body composition was evaluated using six skinfolds. Cyclers
and noncyclers did not differ in age, weight, height, surface area, lean
body mass, or percent body fat. Cyclers had a significantly lower mean
resting metabolic rate than noncyclers (154.6 vs 177.2 kJ/m2/h) (4.6 vs 5.5
kJ per kilogram of lean body mass per hour). There was a 14% difference
between the cyclers and the noncyclers in resting energy expenditure
(6631.8 vs 7702.8 kJ/d). Weight cycling in wrestlers appears to be
associated with a lowered resting metabolic rate.
