Efficacy of morning versus afternoon aerobic exercise training on reducing metabolic syndrome components: A randomized controlled trial
- PMID: 38015017
- DOI: 10.1113/JP285366
Efficacy of morning versus afternoon aerobic exercise training on reducing metabolic syndrome components: A randomized controlled trial
Abstract
A supervised intense aerobic exercise program improves the health of individuals with metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, it is unclear whether the timing of training within the 24 h day would influence those health benefits. The present study aimed to determine the influence of morning vs. afternoon exercise on body composition, cardiometabolic health and components of MetS. One hundred thirty-nine individuals with MetS were block randomized into morning (AMEX; n = 42) or afternoon (PMEX; n = 59) exercise training groups, or a non-training control group (Control; n = 38). Exercise training was comprised of 48 supervised high-intensity interval sessions distributed over 16 weeks. Body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness (assessed by ), maximal fat oxidation (FOmax ), blood pressure and blood metabolites were assessed before and after the intervention. Compared with the non-training Control, both exercise groups improved similarly body composition (-0.7% fat loss; P = 0.002), waist circumference (-2.1 cm; P < 0.001), diastolic blood pressure (-3.8 mmHg; P = 0.004) and (3.5 mL kg-1 min-1 ; P < 0.001) with no differences between training groups. AMEX, in comparison with PMEX, reduced systolic blood pressure (-4% vs. -1%; P = 0.019), plasma fasting insulin concentration (-12% vs. -5%; P = 0.001) and insulin resistance (-14% vs. -4%; P = 0.006). Furthermore, MetS Z score was further reduced in the AMEX compared to PMEX (-52% vs. -19%; P = 0.021) after training. In summary, high-intensity aerobic exercise training in the morning in comparison to training in the afternoon is somewhat more efficient at reducing cardiometabolic risk factors (i.e. systolic blood pressure and insulin sensitivity). KEY POINTS: The effect of exercise time of day on health promotion is an area that has gained interest in recent years; however, large-scale, randomized-control studies are scarce. People with metabolic syndrome (MetS) are at risk of developing cardiometabolic diseases and reductions in this risk with exercise training can be precisely gauged using a compound score sensitive to subtle evolution in each MetS component (i.e. Z score). Supervised aerobic exercise for 16 weeks (morning and afternoon), without dietary restriction, improved cardiorespiratory and metabolic fitness, body composition and mean arterial pressure compared to a non-exercise control group. However, training in the morning, without changes in exercise dose or intensity, reduced systolic blood pressure and insulin resistance further compared to when training in the afternoon. Thus, high-intensity aerobic exercise training in the morning is somewhat more efficient in improving the health of individuals with metabolic syndrome.
Keywords: circadian rhythms; exercise timing; metabolic syndrome.
© 2023 The Authors. The Journal of Physiology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The Physiological Society.
Similar articles
-
The efficacy of morning versus evening exercise for weight loss: A randomized controlled trial.Obesity (Silver Spring). 2023 Jan;31(1):83-95. doi: 10.1002/oby.23605. Epub 2022 Dec 10. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2023. PMID: 36502286 Free PMC article. Clinical Trial.
-
The Effect of Exercise Timing on Glycemic Control: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2020 Feb;52(2):323-334. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000002139. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2020. PMID: 31479004 Clinical Trial.
-
Endurance exercise training changes the limitation on muscle in normoxia from the capacity to utilize O2 to the capacity to transport O2.J Physiol. 2024 Feb;602(3):445-459. doi: 10.1113/JP285650. Epub 2023 Dec 4. J Physiol. 2024. PMID: 38048175
-
The effect of exercise training on clinical outcomes in patients with the metabolic syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Cardiovasc Diabetol. 2017 Aug 30;16(1):110. doi: 10.1186/s12933-017-0590-y. Cardiovasc Diabetol. 2017. PMID: 28854979 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Combined training prescriptions for improving cardiorespiratory fitness, physical fitness, body composition, and cardiometabolic risk factors in older adults: Systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled trials.Sci Sports. 2023 Feb 17. doi: 10.1016/j.scispo.2022.03.015. Online ahead of print. Sci Sports. 2023. PMID: 36843900 Free PMC article. Review.
References
-
- Achten, J., Gleeson, M., & Jeukendrup, A. E. (2002). Determination of the exercise intensity that elicits maximal fat oxidation. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 34(1), 92-97.
-
- Aguilar, M., Bhuket, T., Torres, S., Liu, B., & Wong, R. J. (2015). Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in the United States, 2003-2012. Journal of the American Medical Association, 313(19), 1973-1974.
-
- Albalak, G., Stijntjes, M., van Bodegom, D., Jukema, J. W., Atsma, D. E., van Heemst, D., & Noordam, R. (2022). Setting your clock: Associations between timing of objective physical activity and cardiovascular disease risk in the general population. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 30(3), 232-240.
-
- Alberti, K. G., Eckel, R. H., Grundy, S. M., Zimmet, P. Z., Cleeman, J. I., Donato, K. A., Fruchart, J. C., James, W. P., Loria, C. M., & Smith, S. C. J. (2009). Harmonizing the metabolic syndrome: A joint interim statement of the International Diabetes Federation Task Force on Epidemiology and Prevention; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; American Heart Association; World Heart Federation; International Atherosclerosis Society; and International Association for the Study of Obesity. Circulation, 120(16), 1640-1645.
-
- Alizadeh, Z., Younespour, S., Rajabian Tabesh, M., & Haghravan, S. (2017). Comparison between the effect of 6 weeks of morning or evening aerobic exercise on appetite and anthropometric indices: A randomized controlled trial. Clinical Obesity, 7(3), 157-165.
Grants and funding
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Miscellaneous