People aiming to lose weight, particularly older adults concerned about maintaining bone and muscle mass, may benefit from a new approach involving weighted vests. A recent study published in the journal Frontiers in Aging examined whether wearing a weighted vest during weight loss could help preserve bone mineral density.
The research, led by Jason Fanning, associate professor of health and exercise science at Wake Forest University, analyzed data from the INVEST in Bone Health trial. The randomized controlled study divided participants into three groups. One group wore weighted vests for at least eight hours each day over the course of a year while losing weight.
Fanning found that spending more time upright while wearing the vest exposed participants to greater external load, which appeared to provide more benefits for bone health. The researchers are now planning a follow-up study to investigate if encouraging people to move more can further enhance the effectiveness of weighted vests in preserving bone mass.
"If we're going to be putting vests on people, we need to train those people to be up and moving," said Fanning, who is also leading another study examining how movement affects arthritis pain.
