The pill may impair muscle gains in young women

Young women who use oral contraceptives (OC) may not get as much out of their weight-lifting routine as women who are not on the pill, according to a study released today, which suggests that OC use impairs muscle gains from resistance exercise training in women.

According to the researchers, there were marked differences in lean muscle mass gains between the two groups. Lean muscle increased by just 2.1 percent in OC users compared with 3.5 percent in non-OC users.

Other muscle responses, such as strength gains and arm/leg circumferences, were similar between the OC and non-OC users.