The impact of exercise on mitochondrial biogenesis in skeletal muscle: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
PubMed 40459444 · doi:10.1515/bmc-2025-0055
What was done
A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials was conducted to assess the impact of exercise on mitochondrial biogenesis pathways and biomolecular markers in skeletal muscle of healthy individuals, focusing on PGC-1α across interval and continuous endurance training.
What was found
Endurance exercise significantly increased PGC-1α expression with a pooled effect size of Hedge's g = 1.17 (95% CI: 0.14 to 2.19, I² = 84.5%). Subgroup analysis showed large effect sizes for both interval training (Hedge's g = 1.29) and continuous endurance training (Hedge's g = 1.01), with no significant difference between the two modalities (p > 0.05).
Why it matters
This meta-analysis demonstrates that endurance exercise is a potent stimulus for mitochondrial biogenesis signaling in skeletal muscle, showing that interval and continuous protocols elicit similar PGC-1α adaptations.
Limits
The abstract omits the number of included studies and total participants. The pooled analysis exhibited substantial heterogeneity (I² = 84.5%) and a wide confidence interval, and data for markers beyond PGC-1α were not quantified in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports Exercise stimulates the production of new mitochondria.