COMBINED EFFECTS OF CALORIC RESTRICTION AND BRANCHED-CHAIN AMINO-ACIDSUPPLEMENTATION ON BODY-COMPOSITION AND EXERCISE PERFORMANCE IN ELITEWRESTLERS

Twenty-five competitive wrestlers restricted their caloric intake (28 kcal . kg(-1). day(-1)) for 19 days, using a hypocaloric control (hC, n=6), hypocaloric high-protein (hHP, n=7), hypocaloric high-branched-c hain amino acid (hBCAA, n=6), hypocaloric low-protein (hLP, n=6) diet to determine the effects of caloric restriction on body composition an d performances versus control diet (C, n=6). Anthropometric parameters (weight, percent body fat) and adipose tissue (AT) distribution measu red by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) obtained before and after diet , were compared. A significant highest body weight loss (-4 kg, p<0.05 ) and decrease in the percent of body fat (-17.3%, p<0.05) were observ ed for subjects of the hBCAA group. Subjects of the hBCAA group exhibi ted a significant reduction (-34.4%, p<0.05) in abdominal visceral adi pose tissue (VAT). There was no change in aerobic (VO(2)max) (p>0.75) and anaerobic capacities (Wingate test) (p>0.81), and in muscular stre ngth (p>0.82). We conclude that under our experimental conditions, the combination of moderate energy restriction and BCAA supplementation i nduced significant and preferential losses of VAT, and allowed maintai nance of a high level of performance.