SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Sports Act. Living
Sec. Physical Activity in the Prevention and Management of Disease
Effect of Exercise on Abdominal Obesity and Inflammatory Response in the Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Provisionally accepted
- 1School of Physical Education and Health, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
- 2Akademia Wychowania Fizycznego i Sportu im Jedrzeja Sniadeckiego w Gdansku, Gdańsk, Poland
- 3Nanjing Sport Institute, Nanjing, China
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Abstract Background: Abdominal obesity and chronic inflammation are key aging indicators linked to age-related diseases. While exercise may mitigate these issues, its specific effects on abdominal obesity, adiponectin, and inflammatory markers in older adults require further exploration. Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated exercise’s effects on abdominal obesity, adiponectin, and inflammatory markers in older adults. Methods: A search up to February 20, 2025, included six databases (Medline, Web of Science, Embase, CINHAL, Scopus, Cochrane). Eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessed exercise in healthy older adults or those with obesity, diabetes, or metabolic syndrome (MetS). Citations were analyzed via Rayyan, quality assessed with the Cochrane risk of bias tool, and data meta-analyzed using Review Manager (RevMan) 5.4. Results: From 7,622 citations, 19 RCTs (1,130 participants) were included. Exercise (aerobic, resistance, combined) significantly reduced waist circumference (WC, MD=-2.03 cm, 95% CI: -4.06 to -0.01, p=0.05) and body mass index (BMI, MD=-0.49 kg/m², 95% CI: -0.70 to -0.27, p<0.0001). It also lowered C-reactive protein (CRP, MD=-0.07 mg/L, 95% CI: -0.13 to -0.02, p=0.006), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α, MD=-0.66 pg/mL, 95% CI: -1.07 to -0.25, p=0.002), and interleukin-6 (IL-6, MD=-0.33 pg/mL, 95% CI: -0.60 to -0.05, p=0.02). Key subgroup findings: (1) Obese older adults/those with MetS had 2–3 times greater WC reduction; (2) Vigorous physical activity (VPA) outperformed moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for TNF-α; (3) Short-term interventions (<6 months) targeted inflammation, long-term (≥6 months) improved BMI. Adiponectin showed no significant change (MD=0.15 μg/mL, 95% CI: -0.43 to 0.72, p=0.61). Conclusion: Exercise benefits abdominal obesity and reduces inflammatory markers in older adults. Further RCTs are needed to explore exercise’s effects on other inflammatory markers.
Keywords: Exercise, abdominal obesity, Inflammatory markers, crp, TNF-α, IL-6, Adiponectin
Received: 31 Jul 2025; Accepted: 02 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Liu, Mao, Xie, Guoping, Wu, Xu and Ossowski. 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:
Yangjun Liu
Zbigniew Ossowski
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