SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Physiol.
Sec. Exercise Physiology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphys.2025.1599980
This article is part of the Research TopicStrategies for Combatting Age-Related Decline through Targeted Exercise ProgramsView all 9 articles
Effect of exercise on brain-derived neurotrophic factors in middle-aged and older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Provisionally accepted
- Chengdu Sport University, Chengdu, China
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Although previous studies have indicated that exercise can improve brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in middle-aged and older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), discrepancies remain among the findings. Therefore, this study aims to determine the impact of exercise on BDNF concentrations in middle-aged and older adults with T2DM.A systematic search was conducted across multiple databases, including PubMed, Embase, EBSCO, Cochrane Library, CNKI, and Web of Science, covering the period from the inception of each database to October 2024. The search process adhered to the PRISMA and PERSiST guidelines. Two independent evaluators were responsible for conducting the search, screening results, extracting data, and assessing study quality. A random-effects model was employed to calculate the standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI).This meta-analysis included 13 studies involving 206 middle-aged and elderly individuals with T2DM. The results showed that exercise effectively increased BDNF levels in middle-aged and elderly individuals with T2DM (SMD = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.07-1.39, p < 0.001). Subgroup analysis revealed that aerobic exercise and combined exercise did not significantly increase BDNF levels.Chronic exercise (SMD = 1.04, 95% CI: 0.09 to 1.98, p = 0.03) and weekly exercise duration exceeding 150 minutes (SMD = 1.56, 95% CI: 0.35 to 2.77, p = 0.01) significantly increased BDNF levels in middle-aged and older adults with T2DM. In terms of detection methods, non-instant blood sampling (SMD = 1.27, 95% CI: 0.24 to 2.31, p = 0.02) and serum BDNF testing (SMD = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.22 to 1.66, p = 0.01) were associated with significant increases in BDNF concentrations. There was no significant difference in the effect of diabetes duration ≥10 years versus <10 years on BDNF levels in middle-aged and older adults with T2DM.
Keywords: Exercise, Brain-derived neurotrophic factors, Middle-aged and older adults, type 2 diabetes, Meta-analysis
Received: 25 Mar 2025; Accepted: 04 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Li, Cui, Wang, Zheng, Li and Yang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Chengbo Yang, Chengdu Sport University, Chengdu, China
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