Evidence mapPaperPMID 41939748Full record

SynthesisFrontiers in medicine2026

Comparative effects of weight-loss diet, exercise training, respiratory muscle training, and oropharyngeal muscle training in obstructive sleep apnea: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Xiang Lin, Dongqiang Liu, Wen Sun, Wenshan Xu, Anqi Wang, Jiazhe Lv, Caixia Qiu, Shungui Xu

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Frontiers in medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

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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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

8 authors.

Xiang LinAffiliated People's Hospital of Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, Fujian, China.
Dongqiang LiuAffiliated People's Hospital of Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, Fujian, China.
Wen SunAffiliated People's Hospital of Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, Fujian, China.
Wenshan XuFujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, Fujian, China.
Anqi WangFujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, Fujian, China.
Jiazhe LvSchool of Mathematics and Statistics, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China.
Caixia Qiu *Affiliated People's Hospital of Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, Fujian, China.
Shungui Xu *Affiliated People's Hospital of Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, Fujian, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder and has become a significant public health issue. Weight-loss diet (WLD), exercise training (ET), respiratory muscle training (RMT), and oropharyngeal muscle training (OMT) have been shown to improve OSA symptoms to some extent, offering new treatment options. Objective: To compare the relative efficacy of WLD, ET, RMT, and OMT in patients with OSA through a systematic review and network meta-analysis, and to provide evidence-based support for clinical decision-making on lifestyle and functional training interventions in OSA management. Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched from inception to December 2025, with an updated search performed in January 2026. The primary outcome was the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), while secondary outcomes included the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and body mass index (BMI). Risk of bias was assessed using RevMan 5.4, and the GRADE method was used to evaluate the quality of evidence for all outcomes. Network meta-analysis was conducted using the "network" command in STATA 17.0. Results: ET exhibited the most significant efficacy in reducing the AHI (MD = -9.13, 95% CI: -12.04 to -6.21, SUCRA = 89.9%) and the PSQI (MD = -2.20, 95% CI: -3.23 to -1.16, SUCRA = 78.1%); OMT yielded the greatest reduction in the ESS score (MD = -4.00, 95% CI: -5.45 to -2.56, SUCRA = 92.2%); WLD showed the most prominent effect in reducing the BMI (MD = -2.39, 95% CI: -3.95 to -0.84, SUCRA = 96.2%). Conclusion: Lifestyle and functional training interventions demonstrate distinct outcome-specific effects in the management of OSA. These findings suggest that individualized intervention strategies should be selected in clinical practice based on patients' predominant symptoms and therapeutic goals. However, the effects of these interventions still require further high-quality evidence to be fully validated.

Indexed as

exercise trainingobstructive sleep apneaoropharyngeal muscle trainingrespiratory muscle trainingweight-loss diet

Identifiers

PMID41939748
PMCPMC13044032

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.