Does exercise beneficially affect sex hormones when added to hypo-caloric diets in adults with overweight or obesity? A systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled clinical trials

• Published in: European journal of endocrinology Vol. 186; no. 2; pp. 285 - 295
• Main Authors: Mohseni-Takalloo, Sahar, Beigrezaei, Sara, Yazdanpanah, Zeinab, Rajaie, Seyede Hamide, Soltani, Sepideh, Zohrabi, Tayebeh, Kaviani, Mojtaba, Forbes, Scott C, Baker, Julien S, Salehi-Abargouei, Amin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Bioscientifica Ltd 01.02.2022; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: 17β-Estradiol; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Body weight; Body weight loss; Caloric Restriction; Clinical Study; Clinical trials; Diet; Estradiol - blood; Exercise; Female; Globulins; Gonadal Steroid Hormones - blood; Hormones; Humans; Hypocaloric diet; Male; Meta-analysis; Middle Aged; Nutrient deficiency; Obesity; Obesity - blood; Obesity - therapy; Overweight; Overweight - blood; Overweight - therapy; Reviews; Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin - analysis; Sex hormones; Systematic review; Testosterone; Testosterone - blood; Weight Loss; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0804-4643; 1479-683X
• DOI: 10.1530/EJE-21-0675

Objective There is no consensus of opinion if exercise beneficially affects sex hormones if added to weight-loss diets. The purpose of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled clinical trials to evaluate the effect of adding exercise to a hypo-caloric diet during a weight-loss program, on serum testosterone, estradiol, and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) in adults with overweight/obesity. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature. Methods Online databases including PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, ISI Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched up to April 2021. A random-effects model was applied to compare mean changes in sex hormones and SHBG between participants undergoing a hypo-caloric diet with or without exercise. Results In total, 9 eligible clinical trials with 462 participants were included. Out of these, seven, three, and four studies illustrated changes in testosterone, estradiol, and SHBG, respectively. The meta-analysis revealed that exercise had no significant effect on circulating testosterone (WMD = −0.03 nmol/L, 95% CI: −0.11, 0.06, P = 0.51), estradiol (WMD = −0.46 pg/mL, 95% CI: −1.57, 0.65, P = 0.42), and SHBG (WMD = 0.54 nmol/L, 95% CI: −2.63, 3.71, P = 0.74) when added to low-calorie diets. Conclusion The addition of exercise to a hypo-caloric diet provided no additional improvement in sex hormone profiles. Further, well-designed randomized controlled trials with longer follow-up periods in both sexes are recommended to confirm and expand the current results.