Pennington Biomedical’s Dr. Candida Rebello Secures $3.7 Million NIH Grant to Study Muscle Retention in Older Adults

January 27, 2026 · Baton Rouge, LA

The five-year R01 grant from the NIH’s National Institute on Aging will support Dr. Rebello’s research into lifestyle interventions to reduce sarcopenic obesity 

Pennington Biomedical Research Center scientist Dr. Candida Rebello recently secured a $3.7 million, five-year grant from NIH’s National Institute on Aging to explore lifestyle-focused care strategies to reduce excess body fat and declining muscle mass in older adults with obesity, also known as sarcopenic obesity. The grant will facilitate the planning and structure of the clinical trial laid out in her project “Lifestyle intervention to improve muscle function in older adults.”

Older adults with obesity face a combined challenge of excess weight and declining muscle mass and strength. To date, the only interventions known to improve physical performance in older adults with obesity are exercise and calorie restriction, but even with these behavioral adaptations in place, lean mass can account for up to 33% of the weight that is lost. The loss of muscle mass in older adults can increase the risks of falls and loss of independence. Dr. Rebello’s research will explore a lifestyle strategy that reduces energy intake without conscious calorie restriction, reduces fat mass and improves muscle function. 

“The primary goal of this study is to protect skeletal muscle health, independence and quality of life for a rapidly growing population of older adults with obesity,” said Dr. Rebello, an Assistant Professor and Director of the Nutrition and Chronic Disease Laboratory at Pennington Biomedical. “To be recognized with such a substantial grant from the National Institute on Aging is a sincere honor. Identifying strategies for addressing the combined effects of muscle impairment and obesity while reducing excess calorie intake is a challenge that remains unanswered, but this research sets out to explore possible interventions.”

Nearly one-in-three adults in the U.S. over the age of 60 have sarcopenic obesity. Dr. Rebello’s study will evaluate whether a diet low in energy density, combined with exercise, can reduce fat mass and improve muscle function. Dr. Rebello proposed a 12-week randomized trial involving 80 adults over the age of 50 with obesity and insulin resistance. Participants will be assigned to one of two groups: a low energy density diet or a diet typical of older adults. The respective diets will be developed by Pennington Biomedical’s Metabolic Kitchen to meet individual calorie needs, and all participants will be required to complete 150 minutes per week of supervised aerobic and resistance exercise. 

In addition to identifying lifestyle interventions, the study also seeks to better understand the mechanisms behind the age- and diet-related skeletal muscle tissue loss. Certain hormones such as insulin, GLP-1, leptin and cortisol are known to play key roles in appetite regulation and metabolism, but their combined influence on muscle function during weight loss is not well understood. By measuring both changes in body composition and hormonal responses, Dr. Rebello and her team hope to clarify how diet and exercise interact with metabolic signaling to influence both weight loss and muscle health. 

The study will also use a state-of-the-art D3-creatine dilution method to directly measure skeletal muscle mass, rather than using traditional scans, which cannot distinguish skeletal muscle from lean tissues or fat infiltration within muscles. In doing so, the study will more clearly outline measurements of muscle mass, muscle quality and functional outcomes in a method that has not been used in most prior weight-loss trials.

“This award recognizes Dr. Rebello’s innovative translational research approach to addressing obesity and age-related decline,” said Dr. Jennifer Rood, Interim Senior Vice Chancellor and Executive Director of Pennington Biomedical. “Her study has the potential to guide practical lifestyle interventions that help older adults maintain strength, independence and quality of life. I congratulate Dr. Rebello on this NIH R01 grant, as her study exemplifies our commitment to address real-world health challenges and develop solutions that can improve lives across the lifespan.”

Research reported in this news release was supported by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01AG092725. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.