Systematic Review on Exercise and Inflammatory Biomarkers in MS
This systematic review found that exercise was linked to small reductions in inflammatory markers TNF-alpha and CRP, but the effects on IL-6 levels were inconsistent. The review included multiple studies but had critical limitations in its findings' reliability, especially due to high overlap among included reviews and low confidence ratings.
- Tags
- #Other
- Most relevant to
- —
- Human efficacy
- Not yet assessed
- Mechanism
- Not yet assessed
- Evidence strength
- Not yet assessed
- Outcome
- Not yet assessed
Why it matters
Understanding the impact of exercise on inflammation in MS could inform treatment options; however, the evidence is not robust enough to recommend exercise specifically for reducing these biomarkers.
What this does not prove
The review did not conduct a quantitative reanalysis, and effects on other markers of aging in immune cells remain unresolved. Current findings do not support exercise prescriptions solely for lowering inflammation.
Next milestone
No next milestone was established from the available source.
Study facts
- Study design
- Systematic review
- Participants / samples
- Not reported
- Randomised
- Not reported
- Controlled
- Not reported
- Primary endpoint met
- Not reported
- Relevant MS type
- Not reported
- Publication date
- 2026-09-29
- Evidence reviewed
- Abstract only
- Regulatory approval
- Not reported
- Research areas
- Other
Original sources
- Primary evidenceEffects of exercise and physical activity on circulating inflammaging- and immunosenescence-related biomarkers in older adults and adults with chronic diseases: an umbrella review. ↗DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2026.1931607
Supporting passages (6)
study designWe performed no de novo meta-analysis or meta-regression; this umbrella review is a structured narrative synthesis of quantitative review-level estimates rather than a quantitative reanalysis.
research categoriesTwenty-one reviews were included: 14 core-eligible (full Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcomes, and Study design [PICOS] match, contributing to the primary synthesis and conclusions) and seven evidence-map-only (partial PICOS match, used only for mapping and background).
findingsAmong core-eligible reviews reporting standardised mean differences, exercise was associated with small reductions in tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha; point estimates - 1.42 to - 0.05, two of five confidence intervals excluding the null) and C-reactive protein (CRP; - 0.65 to - 0.47, two of three excluding the null), whereas interleukin-6 (IL-6) estimates were inconsistent (- 0.81 to + 0.09, two of five excluding the null).
limitationsEffects on immunosenescence and cellular-senescence markers remain an evidence gap.
limitationsThis biomarker evidence alone is insufficient to justify prescribing exercise specifically to lower inflammatory biomarkers and does not alter broader physical-activity recommendations based on clinical and functional outcomes.PROSPERO: CRD420261410061.
publication datePublication date: 2026-09-29
AI assessment, not yet reviewed by a person · version 1 · Community votes are separate from evidence review.