June 2026; Vol. 15, No. 1: Pages 9-15
A systematic review and meta-analysis quantifying the increase in energy expenditure from electrical stimulations
Luke P. Gordy, Joseph M. Juliano, Thomas B. Goerke, Scott M. Hubbard, Adam A. Shehata, Scott J. Dankel
Abstract
Objective: The prevalence of obesity in the United States is around 40%, yet less than 10% of these individuals meet established exercise guidelines. Neuromuscular electrical stimulations may serve as a more palatable alternative to vonluntary exercise. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to quantify the increase in energy expenditure resulting from neuromusuclar electrical stimulations administered to healthy adults and clinical populations, and to assess its effectiveness as an alternate to traditional exercise. Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: The research databases of Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched on June 3, 2025 with the following inclusion criteria: 1) written in English, 2) electrical stimulations administered to skeletal muscles without any other exercise, 3) provide an estimate of energy expenditure or oxygen uptake, 4) administered to humans, and 5) also have a resting energy expenditure estimate. A three-level random effects meta-analytic model was computed. The effect sizes used in the present study were raw energy expenditure values in Kcals. Results: A total of 36 studies met the inclusion criteria which included 72 effect sizes and 491 participants. The mean weighted increase in energy expenditure was 36.04 (95% CI: 21.23, 50.85; p<0.001) Kcals/30 minutes. Conclusion: Neuromuscular electrical stimulations increase energy expenditure, but the magnitude appears to be much smaller (~40%) than that of walking. Individuals who are overweight may use electrical stimulations as an alternative to voluntary exercise if they are unwilling or incapable of exercising, but it is unlikely to be as effective as voluntary exercise.
Received April 7, 2026; accepted June 30, 2026