JAMA Netw Open

Weighted vests, resistance training fail to curb bone loss during weight loss

June 26, 2025

Neither weighted vests nor resistance training fully prevented hip bone loss during weight loss in older adults with obesity, reinforcing prior evidence that exercise alone offers limited skeletal protection during caloric restriction.

Study details: A single-blind, 12-month randomized clinical trial enrolled 150 older adults (mean age, 66.4 years; 74.7% women) with obesity (mean BMI, 33.6) to one of three groups: weight loss (WL) alone, WL plus weighted vest (WL+VEST; up to 10% of lost weight replaced, worn ~7 h/day), or WL plus progressive resistance training (WL+RT; supervised 3x/week). All groups targeted 10% weight loss with adequate calcium, vitamin D, and protein intake. The primary outcome was 12-month change in total hip trabecular volumetric BMD (vBMD) and areal BMD (aBMD).

Results: All groups achieved similar weight loss (9.0% to 11.2%). At 12 months, all groups experienced significant decreases in total hip vBMD (–1.2% to –1.9%), with no significant difference between WL+VEST and WL alone, and noninferiority of WL+VEST to WL+RT. Similar results were observed for total hip aBMD. Neither intervention prevented hip bone loss during weight loss.

Source:

Beavers KM, et al. (2025, June 2). JAMA Netw Open. Weighted Vest Use or Resistance Exercise to Offset Weight Loss-Associated Bone Loss in Older Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40540267/