Effects of Weight Reduction Therapies on Lean Body Mass in Overweight and Obese People: A Meta-Regression Analysis

V. Panayotov, N. Yankova, I. Petrovska

Abstract: Presently, obesity is endemic in many countries. Many obese patients also suffer from diseases of high social impact, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Generally, therapies combining energy-deficient diets and physical activity protocols are used for treating obesity. This analysis attempts to assess the impact of different combined diet-and-exercise weight reduction protocols on changes in lean body mass in overweight and obese people. 3142 publications in total were retrieved by filtering the database of the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health USA by keywords ("weight-loss", "diet" and "exercise") for the period between 01.01.2008 and 01.01.2018. After a selection procedure was applied, 92 of them were included in this meta-regression analysis. Results showed that therapies that combine resistance or interval training protocols and low-fat diets are the most efficient for preserving/increasing the amount of lean body mass during weight reduction interventions in overweight and obese individuals. In our opinion, weight reduction therapies should include physical activity protocols in addition to energy-deficient regimens. This strategy may successfully maintain or even increase patients’ lean body mass. Higher amounts of muscle mass enhance physical and psychological wellbeing, as a tool for the prevention of relapses and “yo-yo” effects.

Series on Biomechanics, Vol.37, No.1 (2023), 58-73
DOI: 10.7546/SB.09.01.2023

Keywords: Diet; duration; exercise; obesity; weight reduction

Date published: 2023-02-02