Effect of Exercise Training on Apolipoproteins: Meta-analysis and Trial Sequence Analysis

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Health and Exercise Science
• Lipid Metabolism and Atherosclerosis Research
• Preventive Cardiology

Background:

• Lipid subunits play a crucial role in cardiovascular health and atherosclerosis.
• Exercise training is a widely recommended lifestyle intervention for managing cardiovascular risk factors.
• The specific impact of exercise on various lipid subunits requires comprehensive synthesis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and meta-analyze the effects of exercise training on specific lipid subunits.
• To assess whether exercise-induced changes in lipid subunits reach clinically significant levels.
• To evaluate the anti-atherogenic potential of exercise through its effects on lipid profiles.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search of PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library up to January 31, 2024.
• Inclusion of 25 randomized controlled trials comparing exercise training to sedentary controls.
• Meta-analysis and trial sequence analysis of lipid subunits including apolipoprotein-AI, apolipoprotein-AII, apolipoprotein-B, high-density cholesterol-2, high-density cholesterol-3, and lipoprotein (a).

Main Results:

• Significant favorable anti-atherogenic changes were observed for apolipoprotein-AI, lipoprotein (a), apolipoprotein-B, and high-density cholesterol-2.
• Exercise training achieved minimal clinically important differences for apolipoprotein-AI, lipoprotein (a), apolipoprotein-B, and high-density cholesterol-2.
• No significant effects or futility were demonstrated for apolipoprotein-AII and high-density cholesterol-3.

Conclusions:

• Exercise training demonstrably improves key anti-atherogenic lipid subunits, reaching clinically meaningful levels.
• The findings support exercise as an effective intervention for positively modulating lipid profiles and reducing atherosclerosis risk.
• Further research may be needed to clarify the effects of exercise on apolipoprotein-AII and high-density cholesterol-3.