Effect of whole-body electromyostimulation and / or protein supplementation on obesity and cardiometabolic risk in older men with sarcopenic obesity: the randomized controlled FranSO trial (original) (raw)

Sarcopenic Obesity (SO) is characterized by low lean and high fat mass; i.e. from a functional aspect a disproportion between engine (muscle) and mass to be moved (fat). At present, most research focuses on the engine, but the close "cross talk" between age-associated adipose and skeletal muscle tissue inflammation calls for comprehensive interventions that affect both components alike. Protein and exercise are likely candidates, however with respect to the latter, the enthusiasm for intense and frequent exercise is rather low, especially in functionally limited older people. The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate the effect of whole-body electromyostimulation (WB-EMS), a time-efficient, joint-friendly and highly customizable exercise technology, on obesity parameters and cardiometabolic risk in men with SO. One-hundred community-dwelling (cdw) Bavarian men ≥70 years with SO were randomly assigned to either (a) whey protein supplementation (WPS), (b) WB-EMS and pr...