Can IGF-1 Serum Levels Really be Changed by Acute Physical Exercise? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
in Journal of Physical Activity and HealthBy purchasing this content you agree and accept the terms and conditions
Background: Physical exercise plays an important role in metabolic health, especially in the insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) system. The objective of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effects of a single endurance and resistance exercise session on IGF-1 serum. Methods: The systematic review was performed in SPORTDiscus, MEDLINE, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases. All analyses are based on random-effect models. The study identified 249 records of which 21 were included. Results: There was an effect of endurance exercise on total IGF-1 (P = .01), but not for free IGF-1 (P = .36). Resistance exercise similarly only affected total IGF-1 (P = .003) and not free IGF-1 (P = .37). The effect size indicated that total IGF-1 is more affected (ES = 0.81) by endurance than by resistance exercise (ES = 0.46). The present study showed that IGF-1 serum concentrations are altered by exercise type, but in conditions which are not well-defined. Conclusions: The systematic review and meta-analysis suggest that there is no determinant in serum IGF-1 changes for the exercise load characteristic. Therefore, physical exercise may be an alternative treatment to control changes in IGF-1 metabolism and blood concentration.
de Alcantara Borba is with the Department of Human Movement Sciences, Faculty of Physical Education, University of Minas Gerais State, Ibirité, Minas Gerais, Brazil. da Silva Alves is with the Health Science Department, State University of Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, Bahia, Brazil. Rosa, Facundo, A.C. Silva, Narciso, A. Silva, and de Mello are with the Department of Sports, Physical Education School, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Costa is with the Southeast Federal Institute of Minas Gerais, Campus Rio Pomba, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
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