The Combined Impact of Strength Exercise and Low-Carbohydrate Diet on Body Fat Mass in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The integration of strength training and dietary strategies is recognized as a potent method to decrease body weight and body fat mass. This meta-analysis aims to explore the combined effect of strength training and a low-carbohydrate diet on reducing body fat mass in adults.

We conducted a comprehensive search of the Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Magiran, and SID databases with no publication year restrictions up until September 2023. This meta-analysis evaluated the combined influence of strength training and a low-carbohydrate diet on body fat mass in adults. The weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence interval were calculated using a random effects model to determine the effect size. Publication bias was assessed through visual interpretation of a funnel plot.

A total of 15 studies, involving 390 adult participants, were included in this meta-analysis. The results indicated that strength training combined with a low-carbohydrate diet significantly reduced body fat mass with a large effect size in adults compared to the control group (p=0.03, WMD=0.97 (-1.89 to -0.05)). The results of subgroup analysis based on the subjects' active status showed that resistance training and low-carbohydrate diet for non-athletes (p=0.5, WMD=0.88) did not lead to a significant reduction in body fat mass in adults, but for athlete subjects (p=0.05, WMD=-0.98) was close to significance.

According to the findings of this meta-analysis, a low-carbohydrate diet, in comparison to a standard diet, has a beneficial impact on reducing body fat mass in individuals who partake in strength training.