Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40296052›Full record

ArticleBMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation2025

Comparative effectiveness of morning and evening aerobic exercise on weight loss and physical fitness in Chinese college students with overweight and obesity.

Jingyu Sun, Nannan Jia, Yaning Xu, Dakai Guo, Tianfeng Lu, Jiajia Chen, Hang Chu, Zhangxiaohe Zhang, Ke Yao, Rongji Zhao and 1 more

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Article in BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Jingyu SunSports and Health Research Center, Department of Physical Education, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
Nannan JiaSports and Health Research Center, Department of Physical Education, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
Yaning XuSports and Health Research Center, Department of Physical Education, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
Dakai GuoSports and Health Research Center, Department of Physical Education, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
Tianfeng LuSports and Health Research Center, Department of Physical Education, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
Jiajia ChenSports and Health Research Center, Department of Physical Education, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
Hang ChuSports and Health Research Center, Department of Physical Education, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
Zhangxiaohe ZhangSports and Health Research Center, Department of Physical Education, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
Ke YaoSports and Health Research Center, Department of Physical Education, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
Rongji ZhaoSports and Health Research Center, Department of Physical Education, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
Tao ChenSports and Health Research Center, Department of Physical Education, Tongji University, Shanghai, China. chentwhy@tongji.edu.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPhysiological and metabolic processes are influenced by biological rhythms. However, whether exercising in the morning or evening is more beneficial, given that these periods are two key time windows to incorporate exercise, has remained unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effects of morning versus evening exercise on weight loss, morphometric indicators, and physical fitness among Chinese college students with overweight and obesity.

methodsA total of 31 students with overweight and obesity (18-22 years old) were randomly assigned to exercise in the morning (7 am to 10 am, n = 16) or evening (6 pm to 9 pm, n = 15). The morning exercise group had an average age of 19.69 ± 1.01 years and a body mass index (BMI) of 27.13 ± 2.66 kg/m². The evening group had an average age of 19.47 ± 0.99 years and a BMI of 27.91 ± 3.40 kg/m². In the morning group, 87.5% of participants were male, while 73.3% were male in the evening group. The intervention was aerobic running exercise for 60 min, five times a week for 10 weeks. Measurements were taken before and after the 10-week intervention.

resultsThe BMI values of male and female college students were significantly and positively associated with vital capacity (p < 0.001) and significantly and negatively associated with vital capacity weight index, 50-meter, 800-/1,000-meter, standing long jump, and chin-ups and sit-ups test performances (p < 0.001). Participants who trained in the morning showed significant reductions in minimum waist circumference (MWC) (p = 0.043, d = 0.77), scapular skinfold thickness (ST) (p = 0.002, d = 1.30) and upper arm ST (p = 0.006, d = 1.05) compared with those who trained in the evening.

conclusionsExercise in the morning, compared with that in the evening, has superior beneficial effects on weight loss and improving body shape in Chinese college students living with overweight and obesity.

trial registrationChinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2400089594. Date of registration 11/09/2024.

Indexed as

Body shapeCollege students with overweight and obesityMorning or evening exercisePhysical fitness

Identifiers

PMID40296052
PMCPMC12036172

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.