AccScience Publishing / GTM / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/GTM025460085
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MINI-REVIEW

Therapeutic effects of exercise on metabolic syndrome: A mini-review

Onur Oral1* ,  Iyanuloluwa Ojo2 ,  Naima Badid3 ,  George Nomikos4 ,  Pınar Tatlibal5
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1 Department of Health Sciences and Sports, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey
2 Nuffield Centre for International Health and Development, Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
3 Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences of Nature and Life & Sciences of the Earth and the Universe, University of Tlemcen, Chetouane, Tlemcen, Algeria
4 Department of Orthopedics, Chios Hospital, Chios, North Aegean, Greece
5 Department of Physical Education and Sports, Necat Hepkon Faculty of Sports Sciences, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey
Global Translational Medicine, 025460085 https://doi.org/10.36922/GTM025460085
Received: 10 November 2025 | Revised: 29 January 2026 | Accepted: 17 March 2026 | Published online: 10 July 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Metabolic syndrome, characterized by the confluence of central obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and insulin resistance, is a critical public health challenge that escalates the risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. This narrative review synthesizes contemporary evidence on the role of structured physical exercise in preventing and managing this syndrome. By examining various exercise modalities, we elucidate the physiological and molecular mechanisms underpinning their benefits. The evidence robustly indicates that both aerobic and resistance exercise induce clinically significant improvements across all syndrome components. Aerobic training is effective for enhancing lipid profiles and insulin sensitivity, whereas resistance training promotes muscle mass and basal metabolic rate. Combined exercise programs offer synergistic, multi-system benefits. Despite this strong evidence, real-world application is hindered by challenges in long-term adherence and the need for personalized prescriptions. Consequently, integrating scientifically designed exercise protocols into clinical guidelines and public health policy is paramount for mitigating the global burden of metabolic syndrome.

Keywords
Physical exercise
Metabolic syndrome
Insulin resistance
Cardiovascular disease
Obesity
Lifestyle intervention
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
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Global Translational Medicine, Electronic ISSN: 2811-0021 Print ISSN: 3060-8600, Published by AccScience Publishing
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