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Meta-Analysis
. 2025 Jun;13(12):e70392.
doi: 10.14814/phy2.70392.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect of exercise training on asprosin in randomized controlled trials

Mohammad Rahman Rahimi  1 , Michael E Symonds  2 , Hassan Faraji  3 , Hadi Golpasandi  1
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect of exercise training on asprosin in randomized controlled trials

Mohammad Rahman Rahimi et al. Physiol Rep. 2025 Jun.

Abstract

Asprosin, a protein that enhances insulin resistance by stimulating hepatic glucose secretion, is linked to obesity, metabolic disorders, and cardiovascular diseases. This systematic review and meta-analysis investigate the influence of exercise training (ET) on circulating concentrations of asprosin. A systematic search of PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases was conducted for all randomized controlled clinical trials from January 2016 to November 2024. A total of 431 relevant articles were retrieved and screened according to the study population, intervention method, and study type, resulting in the selection of 14 articles for the meta-analysis. All statistical results were analyzed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Software version 2 (CMA2). The overall effect size, using Hedges' g, based on the random effects model for asprosin with ET, was -1.70 (95% CI -2.17 to -1.23, p = 0.0001). A decrease in asprosin concentration was observed with all types of ET including aerobic training (AT, H = -1.71, p = 0.0001), high-intensity interval training (HIIT, H = -1.81, p = 0.001), and resistance training (RT, H = -1.62, p = 0.0001). Furthermore, subgroup analysis showed differences in asprosin based on body mass index (Q-value = 11.09, df = 2, p = 0.004) and health status of the subjects (Q-value = 12.64, df = 2, p = 0.002); however, there were no differences based on sex (p = 0.67), types (p = 0.96), and duration (p = 0.34) of training. Our findings suggest that ET is associated with a decrease in circulating asprosin that could have a beneficial effect in preventing metabolic disease that is enhanced with obesity. Systematic review registration PROSPERO: CRD42023468813.

Keywords: asprosin; exercise training; high‐intensity interval training; obesity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
PRISMA flowchart indicating the study selection process for investigating the effect of exercise training on asprosin (Page et al., 2021).
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Risk of (a) bias and (b) summary graphs within studies.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Forest plot represents the summary findings from 14 studies that investigated the effect of exercise training on asprosin in human blood.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
The funnel plot depicts the meta‐analysis findings from 14 studies investigating the effect of exercise training on asprosin concentration. The studies imputed via the Trim and Fill method are prominently marked in red on the left side of the diagram.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Forest plot illustrating the results of studies examining the impact of exercise training on asprosin in humans, with training types including aerobic training (AT), resistance training (RT), and high‐intensity interval training (HIIT).
FIGURE 6
FIGURE 6
Forest plot summarizing subgroup analysis based on the total duration of training and its effect on asprosin protein in humans.
FIGURE 7
FIGURE 7
Forest plot summarizing subgroup analysis based on sex and its influence on asprosin protein response to exercise training in humans.
FIGURE 8
FIGURE 8
Forest plot summarizing subgroup analysis based on body mass index (BMI) and its impact on asprosin protein due to exercise training in humans.
FIGURE 9
FIGURE 9
Forest plot summarizing subgroup analysis of asprosin protein response to exercise training based on health status of the participants. DIB, Diabetics; HL, Healthy subjects; OWOB, Overweight/obese subjects.
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