Are you a young women and having trouble increasing muscle mass? A study recently presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Physiological Society stated oral contraceptives may be the problem.
The study included 73 generally healthy women aged 18-31, 34 used oral contraceptives (OC) and 39 did not (non OC). Both groups exercised under the supervision of exercise physiologists, they were encouraged to eat 0.5g of protein per pound of body weight daily to stimulate muscle growth. Exercise included chest press, lat pull, leg extension, tricep extension, arm curl and crunches.
The scientist reported that non-OC women experienced greater muscle growth than OC women. Strength improvements and arm circumference remained similar. Anabolic hormone levels at rest were lower in OC women and cortical levels were higher. OC users had lower levels of muscle building hormone DHEA at the end of training. Researchers reported they were “surprised at the magnitude of differences in muscle gains between the two groups, non-OC women gaining more than 60% greater muscle mass than OC participants. Further studies are needed to determine the mechanism behind the differences.
IDEA FITNESS JOURNAL/ SEPTEMBER