Effects of Different Intensities and Durations of Aerobic Exercise on Vascular Endothelial Function in Middle-Aged and Elderly People: A Meta-analysis

Figure 1. PRISMA flowchart of study selection.

Figure 2. Funnel plot.

Figure 3. Results of Cochrane risk of bias tool.

Figure 4. Meta-analysis results of the effects of aerobic exercise on the FMD in healthy middle-aged and elderly people. The pooled estimates were obtained from random effects analysis. Diamonds indicated the effect size of each study summarized as WMD. The size of the shaded squares was proportional to the percentage weight of each study. Horizontal lines represented the 95% CI and the vertical line represented the overall effect. Aerobic exercise improved FMD significantly [WMD, 1.33 (95% CI, 0.37–2.28), P < 0.05].

Figure 5. Meta-analysis of the effects of different intensities of aerobic exercise on the FMD in healthy middle-aged and elderly people. The pooled estimates were obtained from random effects analysis. Diamonds indicated the effect size of each study summarized as WMD. The size of the shaded squares was proportional to the percentage weight of each study. Horizontal lines represented the 95% CI and the vertical line represented the overall effect. Moderate-intensity aerobic exercise had no significant relationship with FMD in the middle-aged and elderly people [WMD, 1.49 (95% CI, −0.62 to 3.60), P = 0.17], while vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise improved FMD significantly [WMD, 1.10 (95% CI, 0.27–1.93), P < 0.05].

Figure 6. Meta-analysis of the effects of different durations of aerobic exercise on the FMD in healthy middle-aged and elderly people. The pooled estimates were obtained from random effects analysis. Diamonds indicated the effect size of each study summarized as WMD. The size of the shaded squares was proportional to the percentage weight of each study. Horizontal lines represented the 95% CI and the vertical broken line represented the overall effect. One-time acute aerobic exercise had no significant associations with FMD in healthy middle-aged and elderly people [WMD, 0.89 (95% CI, −1.47 to 3.24), P = 0.46], while 8 weeks or above of aerobic exercise improved FMD significantly in the middle-aged and elderly people [WMD, 1.63 (95% CI, 0.61–2.66), P < 0.05].

Figure 7. Meta-analysis of the effects of different intensities of 8 weeks or above of aerobic exercise on the FMD in healthy middle-aged and elderly people. The pooled estimates were obtained from random effects analysis. Diamonds indicated the effect size of each study summarized as WMD. The size of the shaded squares was proportional to the percentage weight of each study. Horizontal lines represented the 95% CI and the vertical broken line represented the overall effect. Eight weeks or above of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise had no association with the FMD in healthy middle-aged and elderly people [WMD, 1.49 (95% CI, −0.62 to 3.60), P = 0.17], while 8 weeks or above of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise significantly improved FMD in middle-aged and elderly people [WMD, 1.48 (95% CI, 1.06–1.90), P < 0.01].