Resistance training effectiveness on body composition and body weight outcomes in individuals with overweight and obesity across the lifespan: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract

To systematically review and analyze the effects of resistance-based exercise programs on body composition, regional adiposity, and body weight in individuals with overweight/obesity across the lifespan. Using PRISMA guidelines, randomized controlled trials were searched in nine electronic databases up to December 2020. Meta-analyses were performed using random-effects model. One-hundred sixteen articles describing 114 trials (n = 4184 participants) were included. Interventions involving resistance training and caloric restriction were the most effective for reducing body fat percentage (ES = À3.8%, 95% CI: À4.7 to À2.9%, p < 0.001) and wholebody fat mass (ES = À5.3 kg, 95% CI: À7.2 to À3.5 kg, p < 0.001) compared with groups without intervention. Significant results were also observed following combined resistance and aerobic exercise (ES = À2.3% and À1.4 kg, p < 0.001) and resistance training alone (ES = À1.6% and À1.0 kg, p < 0.001) compared with no training controls. Resistance training alone was the most effective for increasing lean mass compared with no training controls (ES = 0.8 kg, 95% CI: 0.6 to 1.0 kg, p < 0.001), whereas lean mass was maintained following interventions involving resistance training and caloric restriction (ES = $ À 0.3 kg, p = 0.550-0.727). Results were consistently observed across age and sex groups (p = 0.001-0.011). Reductions in regional adiposity and body weight measures were also observed following combined resistance and aerobic exercise and programs including caloric restriction (p < 0.001). In conclusion, this study provides evidence that resistance-based exercise programs are effective and should be considered within any multicomponent therapy program when caloric restriction is utilized in individuals with overweight or obesity.

Moderators of Resistance Training Effects in Overweight and Obese Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

“…Therefore, preserving lean mass should be considered one of the main goals in older patients during weight loss interventions. Such an outcome could help attenuate or reverse sarcopenia and frailty (130,131), reduce inflammation (132), and improve resting energy expenditure during weight loss (133), as previously suggested (16).…”

“…This review is a follow-up analysis of our previous systematic review and meta-analysis examining the effects of resistance-based exercise programs on body composition and body weight measures across the life span (16). For the present analysis, we have included only randomized controlled trials evaluating the effects of resistance-based exercise programs (i.e., exercise programs including resistance exercise) combined or not with nutritional intervention (e.g., protein supplementation, low-fat diet, or caloric restriction) on whole-body fat mass and lean mass in overweight/obese adults (≥18 yr).…”

“…Specifically, we have recently demonstrated in our previous meta-analysis that resistance-based exercise programs (i.e., interventions including resistance exercise as one of the components) combined with caloric restriction were associated with an approximately 5-kg reduction in whole-body fat mass in overweight/obese individuals after 12 to 48 wk of intervention (16). Improvements of ~1 kg were also observed in whole-body lean mass after resistance training alone (16). Such findings are clinically relevant given several metabolic benefits associated with improvements in body composition such as reducing chronic inflammation (17), risk of hypertension (18), and cardiovascular disease (19).…”

Efeito do treinamento concorrente na composição corporal e perfil metabólico de pessoas obesas: Uma revisão sistemática

“…Várias diretrizes recomendam exercícios, dietas e intervenções comportamentais para melhorar a perda de peso nessa população (Bray et al, 2016;Oppert et al, 2021). Em relação às intervenções de exercícios, exercícios aeróbicos (EA) (ou seja, atividades envolvendo grandes grupos musculares e realizados de forma contínua ou intermitente por um período de tempo prolongado, como ciclismo, natação, corrida ou corrida) é recomendado como o principal componente do exercício para perda de peso adicional, (Bray et al, 2016;Morze et al, 2021) enquanto o exercício resistido (ER) (ou seja, exercício anabólico; realizar séries de movimentos repetidos contra uma resistência) foi considerado menos crítico devido à evidência insuficiente sobre os efeitos na redução do peso corporal ou do índice de massa corporal (IMC) (Bagheri et al, 2020;Lopez et al, 2022).…”

“…Consequentemente, isso culturalmente, vem impossibilitando identificar o potencial uso do treinamento resistido em indivíduos com sobrepeso/obesidade (Ramírez-Vélez et al, 2022;Siqueira et al, 2022). Além disso, apesar de revisões sistemáticas anteriores que investigaram os efeitos do exercício e da dieta na composição corporal (Oppert et al, 2021;Bellicha et al, 2021) e no tecido adiposo visceral, tem mostrado os efeitos específicos do exercício resistido sobre a massa gorda e magra não foram investigados em profundidade naqueles com sobrepeso/obesidade, poucos trabalhos adentram o perfil metabólico endógeno (Lopez et al, 2022;Kim et al, 2022).…”