Effect of Exercise Intervention on the Cardiovascular Health of Untrained Women: A Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression

Objective: Research on the untrained women’s cardiovascular health is a hot topic in the world. It is important to systematically assess the effects of exercise duration on cardiovascular health in untrained women. Methods: Published articles from 1988 to May 2015 were identified using electronic databases for randomized controlled trails. The weighted mean differences and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using fixed-effects and random-effects models. Meta-regression and subgroup analysis were performed to explore the possible heterogeneity. Results: Data from 28 published studies with a total of 544 untrained women aged less than 60 years were identified. There were significant pooled effects of different exercise durations on VO2max (within 3 months 95% CI: -2.51 to -1.57; I2=0%; 4-6 months 95% CI: -4.63 to -2.44; I2=0%) and Systolic Blood Pressure (4-6 months 95% CI: 5.55 to 7.52; I2=35%). Additionally, Systolic Blood Pressure was significantly decreased in unhealthy women (95% CI: 5.78 to 8.73; I2=84.3%). The Heart Rate, Total Cholesterol, High Density Lipoprotein-Cholesterol and Low Density Lipoprotein-Cholesterol of untrained women were significantly improved with short-duration, mid-duration and long-duration exercise. Conclusion: There are different effects of exercise duration on cardiovascular health in untrained women aged less than 60 years. The short-duration exercise can improve aerobic capacity in women, but the improvement becomes less with the increase of age. The short-duration, mid-duration and long-duration exercise can improve cholesterol metabolism and decrease Heart Rate in untrained women. The mid-duration exercise can significantly decrease Systolic Blood Pressure in unhealthy women but not in healthy women.