ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The vegan diet (VEGD) 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 (RTP) 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 RTP sessions per week. The sample included 70 Chilean individuals, aged between 18 and 59 years, who had been following a VEGD or omnivorous diet (OMND) for the past 6 months. Four groups were established: Vegan Diet Resistance Training Program (VEGD-RTP), Vegan Diet Control (VEGD-C), Omnivorous Diet Resistance Training Program (OMND-RTP), and Omnivorous Diet Control (OMND-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 VEGD-RTP 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 OMND-RTP 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: RTP combined with VEGD or OMND significantly reduced the percentage of fat mass, although its effect was more significant in the VEGD-RTP participants.