This article is part of the ORIEMS FIT RESEARCH DIGEST series. In this series, we regularly share interesting and credible research papers from universities and medical centers around the world. Our goal is simple: inspire curiosity and help readers learn how science studies the human body. We explain research in plain language.

If you enjoy deeper reading, links to the original study are always provided at the end so you can explore, fact-check, or download the full paper yourself.

👨🔬 WHO DID THIS RESEARCH — AND WHERE?

This study was led by Professor Wolfgang Kemmler and his research team.

🏛 Institution:
Institute of Medical Physics
Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg
Germany 🇩🇪

This is a public, government-funded German university with a strong reputation in:

• aging research

• muscle science

• body composition studies

📅 When:
The research was conducted in 2016 and published in 2018.

💰 Who funded it:
A non-profit health research organization.
Importantly, the funder had no influence on the study design or results.

🧠 WHAT QUESTION WERE THE RESEARCHERS TRYING TO ANSWER?

As people age, two things often happen together:

• Muscle mass goes down

• Body fat — especially belly fat — goes up

This condition is called sarcopenic obesity.

The researchers asked a very practical question:

Can belly fat and waist size be reduced in older adults
without long gym sessions or intense exercise?

👴 WHO TOOK PART IN THE STUDY?

• 👥 100 men

• 🎂 70 years old or older

• 🏠 Living independently (not in nursing homes)

All participants had:

• High body fat

• Large waist circumference

• Low muscle mass

These were real older adults, not athletes or fitness models.

⚡ WHAT DID THE RESEARCHERS ACTUALLY DO?

This was a randomized controlled trial — one of the strongest research designs.

Participants were randomly placed into three groups for 16 weeks:

🥤 Group 1 — Protein Only

• High-quality whey protein

• No EMS

• No exercise program

⚡ Group 2 — Protein + Whole-Body EMS

• Same protein intake

• Whole-body electrical muscle stimulation

• 20 minutes per session

• 1.5 sessions per week

• Standing position

• Joint-friendly

• Supervised

🧍 Group 3 — Control Group

• No EMS

• No protein intervention

🎯 DID THE STUDY REALLY MEASURE BELLY FAT?

Yes — directly and clearly.

The researchers did not rely on body weight alone.

They measured belly fat using:

1️⃣ Waist circumference 📏
2️⃣ Trunk fat mass (fat around the abdomen)
3️⃣ Visceral fat area (deep belly fat around organs)

These are the same measures doctors use to assess abdominal obesity.

📉 WHAT DID THE STUDY FIND? (POSITIVE FINDINGS ONLY)

🔹 Waist Circumference (Belly Size)

• Protein group 👉 waist size decreased

• EMS + protein group 👉 waist size decreased more

• Control group 👉 no meaningful change

📌 The EMS + protein group showed a significantly greater reduction than protein alone.

🔹 Abdominal (Trunk) Fat

• EMS + protein group 👉 statistically significant reduction

• Protein only 👉 small change

• Control 👉 no improvement

This means fat stored around the belly and torso went down.

🔹 Visceral (Deep Belly) Fat

• Both treatment groups 👉 visceral fat decreased

• Control group 👉 no improvement

Visceral fat is the type of fat most linked to metabolic risk.

🔹 Total Body Fat

• 🥤 Protein only: ~3.6% reduction

• ⚡ EMS + protein: ~6.7% reduction

• 🧍 Control: no meaningful change

All without traditional workouts.

💡 WHY IS THIS STUDY SO INTERESTING?

Most people believe fat loss always requires:

• Long gym sessions 🏋️

• Running or heavy lifting

• Stress on joints

This study suggests something different:

Activating muscles — even without traditional exercise —
can influence belly fat and waist size.

For older adults, this is especially important.

🧩 WHY COULD EMS BE HELPFUL FOR SOME PEOPLE?

EMS may be relevant for people who:

• Sit for long hours 🪑

• Have joint discomfort

• Avoid high-impact exercise

• Are older or less mobile

• Struggle to activate muscles voluntarily

EMS triggers muscle contractions, even when movement is limited.

🔍 HOW MIGHT THIS HELP EMS USERS IN DAILY LIFE?

This research suggests EMS may support:

• Muscle engagement

• Body composition balance

• Waist size reduction

• Reduced abdominal fat accumulation

⚠️ This does not mean EMS is a medical treatment.
It simply reports observed physical changes in a research setting.

📄 RESEARCH PAPER DETAILS

Original Title:
Effect of whole-body electromyostimulation and/or protein supplementation on obesity and cardiometabolic risk in older men with sarcopenic obesity

Simplified Title:
Can EMS Reduce Belly Fat and Waist Size in Older Adults?

Published In:
🧬 BMC Geriatrics — a peer-reviewed scientific journal

Why this source matters:
✔ Peer-reviewed
✔ University-led
✔ Registered clinical trial
✔ Transparent funding
✔ Published by Springer Nature

🔗 ORIGINAL STUDY LINK

📄 Read the full research paper here:
👉 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12877-018-0759-6

Hosted by Springer Nature, one of the world’s largest academic publishers 🌍
You can review the abstract, data, and download the PDF.

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📊 STUDY SUMMARY — AT A GLANCE

💬 SHARE & DISCUSS

If you found this research interesting 🤯
please share it with friends or family 👨👩👧👦
especially anyone curious about belly fat, aging, or EMS ⚡

🔁 Share link:
👉 https://bit.ly/4qzulW1

Have thoughts or questions?
Leave a comment and join the discussion 💬

⚠️ DISCLAIMER

This blog post is for informational and recreational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.
Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment.
Full disclaimer:
https://oriems.fit/blogs/research-digest/disclaimer