The effect of different types of exercise on blood lipid profiles: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies

Objectives. - Cardiovascular illnesses are well-known to be among the leading causes of death worldwide. HDL, LDL, total cholesterol (TC), and triglyceride (TG), which make up the blood lipid profile are all indications of cardiovascular disease. Although exercise is known to improve these biomarkers, it is not clear which type of exercise is more effective in improving the blood lipid profile. News. - The present study aimed to examine which type of exercise is best for improving blood lipid profiles. Using the meta-analysis technique, data from the Google Scholar database, PubMed, and ClinicalTrials.gov were extracted until November 2021. Mean differences (MDs) were pooled using random or fixed-effects models according to the degree of heterogeneity of the respective outcomes. Eighteen studies [total of 562 participants (260 females and 182 males) (3 studies not specifying male-female numbers)] that met the inclusion criteria were grouped and evaluated. Results and conclusion. - Meta-analysis results showed that aerobic exercise significantly decreased TC and TG (MD = 14.06 mg/d 95% CI [-0.80 to 27.33] p = 0.04; MD = 23.82 mg/d 95% CI [13.27 to 34.38] p < 0.00001), anaerobic exercise decreased LDL, TC, and TG (MD = 16.91 mg/d 95% CI [1.49 to 32.34] p = 0.03; MD = 15.13 mg/d 95% CI [0.68 to 29.57] p = 0.04; MD) = 32.47 mg/d 95% CI [27.89 to 37.05] p < 0.00001) and resistance exercise significantly decreased TG (MD = 29.07 mg/d 95% CI [9.09 to 49.05] p = 0.004). The anaerobic exercise was the most effective type of exercise by developing more biomarkers. In addition, aerobic and resistance exercise effectively improved blood lipid profile. Unexpectedly, neither type of exercise showed a significant effect on HDL. (c) 2022 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.