Is There a Protective Effect of Exercise and Nutrition on Muscle Mass Reduction During Diet-Induced Weight Loss in Overweight and Obese Women? A Randomized Controlled 12-Week Trial

The study evaluates the effects of different types of popular exercises on muscle mass reduction during diet-induced body mass loss in overweight and obese women. Participants were randomly allocated to three exercises (Whole-Body Electromyostimulation (WB-EMS), Pilates, Yoga) combined with nutritional guidance and one nutritional guidance-only group (control). All exercise protocols specified a 2 × 50 min (Pilates, Yoga) or 2 × 20 min (WB-EMS) training, respectively. Weekly applied nutritional guidance focused on −500 kcal/d of energy restriction but increased protein intake. A total 221 overweight/obese women 19–65 years old and largely compliant with the exercise and nutritional guidance protocol were included. We observed significant decreases in body mass in all groups (−3.9 to 6.0 kg, all p < 0.001), with the most pronounced reduction in the nutritional guidance-only group. Apart from WB-EMS (−166 ± 799 g, p = 0.14), all the other groups significantly lost muscle mass (Pilates −343 ± 774 g, p = 0.003; Yoga: −507 ± 801 g, p < 0.001), however, compared to control (−1113 ± 881 g, p < 0.001), all the groups showed significantly more favorable results. WB-EMS, Pilates, and Yoga were associated with a reduced loss of muscle mass during diet-induced weight loss, indicating their potential role as adjunctive interventions in overweight and obese individuals.