SynthesisFrontiers in medicine2026
Comparative effectiveness and dose-response relationship of exercise-based interventions for muscle mass in older women with sarcopenia: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.
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.
What it found
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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.
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
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Abstract
Background: Exercise and nutrition are the principal non-pharmacological strategies for sarcopenia, but the relative effects of different exercise combinations and the dose required to improve muscle mass in older women remain uncertain. This study compared exercise-based interventions and examined the dose-response relationship. Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and EBSCO were searched from inception to 1 July 2026. Eligible trials enrolled women aged ≥ 60 years female with sarcopenia. Risk of bias was assessed using RoB 2. A frequentist random-effects network meta-analysis combined direct and indirect evidence, with effects expressed as standardized mean differences (SMDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Interventions were ranked using P-scores. Network meta-regression examined control condition, age, intervention duration, weekly frequency, weekly exercise dose, and female proportion. A Bayesian model-based network meta-analysis assessed the dose-response relationship using MET-min/week. Results: Twenty-seven controlled trials involving 1,845 participants were included. Heterogeneity was moderate, with no significant global inconsistency. Most interventions improved muscle mass compared with control, although no significant effect was detected for Chinese traditional exercise. Resistance, aerobic, and balance training combined with nutritional supplementation produced the largest effect (SMD = 1.41, 95% CI 0.81-2.01) and ranked first ( Conclusion: Resistance-based multicomponent exercise may improve muscle mass in older women with sarcopenia, particularly when combined with nutritional supplementation. Exercise dose should be increased gradually according to individual tolerance. The reported dose values should be interpreted as evidence-supported estimates rather than fixed biological thresholds or universally optimal prescriptions. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420261449654, identifier: PROSPERO (CRD420261449654).
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Registered trials
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.