Abstract
BACKGROUND: Obesity continues to grow as a public health concern and although dietary interventions can be effective at reducing body mass and improving cardiovascular risk factors, they also result in undesirable losses of lean tissue. The aim of this randomised controlled pilot trial was to investigate the effects of a home-based resistance training exercise programme on body composition and muscle function in people living with overweight or obesity undergoing dietary weight loss. METHODS: Participants (n = 48) from Glasgow were randomly assigned to either a diet-induced weight loss group (WL) or a diet plus home-based resistance training exercise group (RT + WL) for 12-weeks. Body composition, muscle strength, and physical function were assessed at baseline and post-intervention. RESULTS: There was no effect of the resistance exercise training programme (all p > 0.05) on body composition including body mass index, total body mass, fat mass, fat free mass or muscle thickness during weight loss. However, the resistance training group showed improvements in muscle and physical function compared to the weight loss only group, resulting in higher grip strength (RT + WL: Δ2.65, 95% CI: 0.44, 4.86; WL: Δ-0.26, 95% CI: -2.04, 1.51:p = 0.046), maximal voluntary contraction force (RT + WL:Δ23.61, 95% CI: 3.39, 43.84 WL: Δ-11.95, 95% CI: -35.37, 11.48;p = 0.019), and sit-to-stand test scores (RT + WL:Δ5.9, 95% CI: 4.27, 7.53 WL: Δ1.47, 95% CI: 0.13, 2.82; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that incorporating home-based resistance training into weight loss programmes can preserve, or even enhance, muscle function without negatively impacting the effectiveness of dietary weight loss interventions, highlighting its potential to mitigate muscle function losses during weight loss in people living with overweight or obese. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Name of the registry: ClinicalTrials.gov. The registration number: NCT05702840. Date of Registry: 18/01/2023. The registration title: EXerCise wEight Loss (EXCEL).