Effectiveness of Resistance Training Program on Body Composition in Adults Following Vegan Diet versus Omnivorous Diet; Developed in Mobile Health Modality

Background: The vegan diet (VEG_D) has gained popularity in recent years for ecological and ethical reasons, as well as for its health benefits. In addition to the type of diet, the resistance training program (RT_P) plays a fundamental role as one of the main natural anabolic stimuli to increase musculoskeletal mass and reduce fat mass. Methods: The study was a 16-week non-randomized controlled clinical trial consisting of three RT_P sessions per week. The sample included 70 Chilean individuals, aged between 18 and 59 years, who had been following a VEG_D or omnivorous diet (OMN_D) for the past 6 months. Four groups were established: Vegan Diet Resistance Training Program (VEG_D-RT_P), Vegan Diet Control (VEG_D-C), Omnivorous Diet Resistance Training Program (OMN_D-RT_P), and Omnivorous Diet Control (OMN_D-C). Results: The sample consisted of 47 women and 23 men, with a mean age of 30.1 (±8.6) years. A reduction of 1.20% in the percentage of fat mass (%FM) was observed in the VEG_D-RT_P group (r = 0.554, p = 0.016), as well as a reduction of 0.70 kg in kilograms of fat mass (KFM) (r = 0.480, p = 0.036). The OMN_D-RT_P group decreased %FM by 0.90% (r = 0.210, p = 0.432) and KFM by 0.50 kg (r = 0.109, p = 0.683). Conclusions: RT_P combined with VEG_D or OMN_D significantly reduced the percentage of fat mass, although its effect was more significant in the VEG_D-RT_P participants.