Qiu Fanji, Li Jinfeng, Gan Liaoyan
Movement Biomechanics, Institute of Sport Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Humboldt Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Department of Kinesiology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States of America.
PeerJ. 2025 May 23;13:e19348. doi: 10.7717/peerj.19348. eCollection 2025.
Hypoxic conditioning has emerged as a promising intervention for enhancing physiological adaptations. This systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials aims to investigate the efficacy of hypoxic conditioning on physical fitness measures in aging populations.
The Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched from inception to November 2024 (Prospero registration: CRD42023474570). The Cochrane Evaluation Tool and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) framework were used for risk of bias assessment and evidence certainty evaluation. Mean differences (MD) and standardized mean differences (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using the Review Manager software. Subgroup analysis was performed to explore possible associations between the study characteristics and the effectiveness of the intervention.
A total of 13 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with 368 subjects were included in the meta-analysis. High certainty evidence found hypoxic conditioning (HC) significantly improved peak oxygen uptake (VOpeak) (SMD = 0.31, 95% CI [0.01-0.61]; < 0.05), while very low to moderate certainty evidence shown that hypoxic conditioning (HC) have not induced greater changes on functional outcomes (SMD = -0.21, 95% CI [-0.66-0.24]; > 0.05), muscle strength (SMD = -0.19, 95% CI [-0.63-0.26]; > 0.05), maximal power output (SMD = 0.29, 95% CI [-0.17-0.76]; > 0.05), VOmax (SMD = -0.39, 95% CI [-1.12-1.90]; > 0.05), and exercise workload (MD = -10.07, 95% CI [-34.95-14.80]; > 0.05).
This study suggests that hypoxia conditioning has a greater effect on enhancing VOpeak compared to equivalent normoxic training in the middle-aged and older population. More high-quality RCTs are needed in the future to explore the optimal oxygen concentration and exercise intensity during hypoxia conditioning.
低氧预处理已成为一种有前景的促进生理适应的干预措施。本随机对照试验的系统评价和荟萃分析旨在研究低氧预处理对老年人群体能指标的疗效。
检索了Embase、PubMed、Cochrane图书馆和Web of Science数据库，检索时间从建库至2024年11月（国际前瞻性系统评价注册平台注册号：CRD42023474570）。采用Cochrane评估工具和推荐意见分级的评估、制定与评价（GRADE）框架进行偏倚风险评估和证据确定性评价。使用Review Manager软件计算平均差（MD）、标准化平均差（SMD）及95%置信区间（CI）。进行亚组分析以探讨研究特征与干预效果之间可能存在的关联。
荟萃分析共纳入13项随机对照试验（RCT），涉及368名受试者。高确定性证据表明，低氧预处理（HC）显著改善了峰值摄氧量（VOpeak）（SMD = 0.31，95%CI[0.01 - 0.61]；P < 0.05），而极低至中等确定性证据显示，低氧预处理（HC）在功能结局（SMD = -0.21，95%CI[-0.66 - 0.24]；P > 0.05）、肌肉力量（SMD = -0.19，95%CI[-0.63 - 0.26]；P > 0.05）、最大功率输出（SMD = 0.29，95%CI[-0.17 - 0.76]；P > 0.05）、最大摄氧量（VOmax）（SMD = -0.39，95%CI[-l.12 - 1.90]；P > 0.05）和运动负荷（MD = -10.07，95%CI[-34.95 - 14.80]；P > 0.05）方面未引起更大变化。
本研究表明，与中年和老年人群的等效常氧训练相比，低氧预处理对提高VOpeak的效果更佳。未来需要更多高质量的随机对照试验来探索低氧预处理期间的最佳氧浓度和运动强度。
