Grant: Master's Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Overweight and obesity (OW/OB) may be accompanied by a variety of negative health outcomes including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and poor bone health. Inflammation resulting from a greater amount of body fat can enhance bone breakdown, which can increase the risk of developing osteoporosis (a disease that weakens bone). With obesity increasing among young females, strategies should be developed to enhance bone mass and delay losses of bone before age 50 years (and older); a time associated with reductions in bone health related to menopause. While exercise training is beneficial for improving bone health, what is consumed post-exercise may be just as important. Greek yogurt, with its low carbohydrate and high protein and calcium content, is expected to support bone formation. My proposed research will show whether Greek yogurt supports bone formation following exercise compared to a standard high-carbohydrate post-exercise snack in young women with OW/OB. We will recruit 20 inactive women with OW/OB who will visit our lab on 2 separate occasions separated by 4 weeks. On both occasions the participants will perform one bout of high-intensity interval exercise for 25 minutes. This exercise protocol is favoured among those with obesity. Following the exercise bout, participants will consume either plain Greek yogurt (240kcal, 14g carbohydrate, 7g fat, 32g protein, 350mg calcium) or a standard carbohydrate rich pudding (240kcal, 61g carbohydrate). Bone formation and breakdown markers will be monitored via blood sampling in the lab for 3 hours and at 24 hours following the consumption of the post-exercise snack. These results may help inform lifestyle guidelines to improve bone mass with exercise in young women with OW/OB, to dampen the decline in bone health with age.