Chu Rui, Li Mingming, Xie Yeshou, Du Yinuo, Ni Tao
Anhui Polytechnic University, Wuhu, Anhui, China.
Hefei Preschool Education College, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Front Public Health. 2025 Aug 21;13:1660694. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1660694. eCollection 2025.
Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is thought to play an important role in regulating skeletal muscle mass and function, with its decline potentially linked to age-related frailty and sarcopenia. Given the limitations of pharmacological and nutritional interventions, exercise may serve as a potential non-pharmacological strategy to modulate IGF-1 levels. The purpose of this study is to systematically evaluates the effects of exercise interventions on serum IGF-1 levels in older adults with frailty and/or sarcopenia using a meta-analysis approach.
A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EMBASE and Scopus (from inception to July 2025) to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the impact of exercise interventions on serum IGF-1 levels in older adults with frailty and/or sarcopenia. Data were analyzed using RevMan 5.4 and Stata 15.1, with standardized mean differences (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) calculated via a random-effects model. The protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD420251085472).
A total of 11 studies (comprising 16 RCTs) were included, involving 604 participants (intervention group: 314; control group: 290), age range: 63.6 to 85.8 years old. Meta-analysis revealed that exercise interventions significantly increased serum IGF-1 levels in older adults with frailty and/or sarcopenia (SMD = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.23-0.60, < 0.0001, = 15%). Subgroup analysis demonstrated that combined training (aerobic + resistance) yielded the most pronounced effect (SMD = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.36-0.84, < 0.00001, = 0%), followed by resistance training alone (SMD = 0.35, 95% CI: 0.05-0.66, = 0.02, = 28%), whereas aerobic training alone showed no significant effect [SMD = 0.01, 95%CI: (-0.46, 0.48), = 0.96, = 0%]. Similarly, subgroup analysis revealed that exercise intervention could effectively improve serum IGF-1 levels in older adult individuals with frailty (SMD = 0.53, 95%CI: 0.07-0.98, = 0%) or sarcopenia (SMD = 0.40, 95%CI: 0.19-0.61, = 25%), with no statistically significant difference in effect sizes between the two groups.
Exercise intervention can effectively increase serum IGF-1 concentrations in older adults with frailty and/or sarcopenia. The research results may provide key evidence-based basis for clinical non-pharmacological interventions.
胰岛素样生长因子-1（IGF-1）被认为在调节骨骼肌质量和功能中起重要作用，其水平下降可能与年龄相关的虚弱和肌肉减少症有关。鉴于药物和营养干预的局限性，运动可能是调节IGF-1水平的一种潜在非药物策略。本研究的目的是采用荟萃分析方法系统评估运动干预对患有虚弱和/或肌肉减少症的老年人血清IGF-1水平的影响。
在PubMed、科学网、考克兰图书馆、EMBASE和Scopus（从创刊到2025年7月）进行系统检索，以识别研究运动干预对患有虚弱和/或肌肉减少症的老年人血清IGF-1水平影响的随机对照试验（RCT）。使用RevMan 5.4和Stata 15.1进行数据分析，通过随机效应模型计算标准化均值差（SMD）和95%置信区间（95%CI）。该方案已在国际前瞻性系统评价注册库（PROSPERO）注册（CRD420251085472）。
共纳入11项研究（包括16项RCT），涉及604名参与者（干预组：314名；对照组：290名），年龄范围为63.6至85.8岁。荟萃分析显示，运动干预显著提高了患有虚弱和/或肌肉减少症的老年人的血清IGF-1水平（SMD = 0.42，95%CI：0.23 - 0.60，P < 0.0001，I² = 15%）。亚组分析表明，联合训练（有氧运动 + 抗阻训练）产生的效果最显著（SMD = 0.60，95%CI：0.36 - 0.84，P < 0.00001，I² = 0%），其次是单独的抗阻训练（SMD = 0.35，95%CI：0.05 - 0.66，P = 0.02，I² = 28%），而单独的有氧运动则未显示出显著效果[SMD = 0.01，95%CI：（-0.46，0.48），P = 0.96，I² = 0%]。同样，亚组分析显示，运动干预可有效提高患有虚弱（SMD = 0.53，95%CI：0.07 - 0.98，I² = 0%）或肌肉减少症（SMD = 0.40，95%CI：0.19 - 0.61，I² = 25%）的老年个体的血清IGF-1水平，两组之间的效应大小无统计学显著差异。
运动干预可有效提高患有虚弱和/或肌肉减少症的老年人的血清IGF-1浓度。研究结果可能为临床非药物干预提供关键的循证依据。
