Pyruvate Modifies Body Fat to
Muscle Mass Ratio
Researchers led by D. Kalman, M.D., at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York divided 53 male and female subjects into three groups. The pyruvate group received capsules that provided 6 g pyruvate and 250 mcg chromium per day; the placebo group, capsules containing
maltodextrin; and the control group, no capsules. Throughout the six-week study, all three groups ate the same 2,000-calorie-per-day diet and followed the same 30-minute routine of aerobic and anaerobic exercise five days a week.
By the end of this period, researchers found no significant change in body weight in any of the three groups. However, body composition (the ratio of body fat to lean body mass) differed markedly among the groups. Participants ingesting the pyruvate lost an average of 4.8 pounds of body fat, a loss equivalent to 12.4 percent of their original body fat. In comparison, subjects in the control group gained 0.1 pound of body fat on average, and subjects in the placebo group lost an average of 0.2 pound of body fat. The treatment group's fat loss is significant considering the study participants ingested 2,000 calories a day. In earlier pyruvate studies subjects ate only 500 or 1,000 calories daily.
How did the pyruvate group lose 4.8 pounds of fat without a significant change in body weight? Because they also gained an average of 3.4 pounds of muscle. The control group gained only 0.4 pound of muscle, and the placebo group lost 0.3 pound of muscle. The pyruvate group's gain in muscle mass is impressive considering participants did not engage in any heavy weight training but only performed light exercises.
