Evidence mapPaperPMID 41484603Full record

SynthesisBMC women's health2026

Comparative efficacy of exercise modes on cardiometabolic health in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review with pairwise and network meta-analyses.

Mousa Khalafi, Saeid Fatolahi, Ghodsieh Rahmatpanah, Michael E Symonds, Sara K Rosenkranz, Farnaz Dinizadeh, Alexios Batrakoulis

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC women's health, 2026. 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

7 authors.

Mousa KhalafiDepartment of Sport Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, University of Kashan, Kashan, Iran. Mousa.Khalafi@kashanu.ac.ir.
Saeid FatolahiDepartment of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
Ghodsieh RahmatpanahDepartment of Sport Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, University of Kashan, Kashan, Iran.
Michael E SymondsCentre for Perinatal Research, Academic Unit of Population and Lifespan Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
Sara K RosenkranzDepartment of Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, USA.
Farnaz DinizadehDepartment of Sport Sciences, Tabriz branch, Azad University, Tabriz, Iran.
Alexios BatrakoulisDepartment of Physical Education and Sport Science, Democritus University of Thrace, Komotini, Greece. abatrakoulis@uth.gr.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

INTRODUCTION AND

aimAlthough exercise training is beneficial to patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), its impact on cardiometabolic health remains uncertain. Therefore, the objective of the current systematic review with pairwise and network meta-analyses was to investigate the efficacy of different modes of exercise in improving glucose homeostasis, lipid profiles, and systemic inflammation.

methodsThree electronic databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched in the English language for publications from inception to July 2025. Randomized control trials comparing the effects of exercise training, including aerobic (AT), resistance (RT), combined (CT), or high-intensity interval training (HIIT), Yoga/Tai Chi with non-exercise controls (CON) or another exercise modality on markers of glucose homeostasis, lipid profiles, and C-reactive protein (CRP) were included in the meta-analyses. Weighted mean differences (WMD) or standardized mean differences (SMD) along with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs), were determined using random-effects models.

resultsTwenty-five studies involving 1, 107 participants with mean ages from 18 to 34 years, were included. Exercise training reduced fasting insulin [SMD: -0.28, p = 0.01], Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) [SMD: -0.50, p = 0.008], triglycerides (TG) [WMD: -2.70 mg/dl, p = 0.01], total cholesterol (TC) [WMD: -3.74 mg/dl, p = 0.04], and CRP [SMD: -0.61, p = 0.001], significantly more than CON, but no significant differences were observed for fasting glucose, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Based on network meta-analysis, Yoga/Tai Chi reduced fasting glucose [WMD: -5.54 mg/dL, p = 0.001], AT reduced HOMA-IR [SMD: -0.57, p = 0.03], and CRP [SMD: -0.82, p = 0.001], HIIT reduced fasting insulin [SMD: -0.38, p = 0.03], HOMA-IR [SMD: -0.56, p = 0.05] and LDL [WMD: -6.45 mg/dl, p = 0.01], and CT reduced TG [WMD: -3.61 mg/dl, p = 0.004] and LDL [WMD: -8.40 mg/dl, p = 0.01] significantly more than CON.

conclusionExercise training may be effective for improving glycemic control, lipid profiles, and systemic inflammation among women with PCOS. Among exercise modes examined, AT and HIIT appeared to be the most effective for improving glucose homeostasis, AT for reducing systemic inflammation, and CT for improving lipid profiles (PROSPERO ID: CRD420251127315).

Indexed as

ExercisePolycystic Ovary SyndromeAdultBlood GlucoseC-Reactive ProteinFemaleHigh-Intensity Interval TrainingHumansInsulin ResistanceLipidsNetwork Meta-Analysis as TopicResistance TrainingYogaBlood GlucoseC-Reactive ProteinLipidsExercise trainingInflammationInsulin resistanceLipid profilePolycystic ovary syndrome

Identifiers

PMID41484603
PMCPMC12870144

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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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.