Research Progress on the Health Effects of Chrono-Exercise on Metabolic Syndrome

A systematic review of relevant research in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Scopus and China National Knowledge Internet (CNKI) was conducted to review the literature related to chrono-exercise and metabolic syndrome, trying to analyze the relationship between chrono-exercise, circadian rhythm and metabolic syndrome. It is found that the effect of exercise at different times of the day on glucose metabolism was related to the timing of meals. Chrono-exercise reduced metabolic and cardiovascular risk, and evening exercise had a greater benefit on lowering blood pressure than morning exercise did. AMPK, PGC1α, and HIF1α cytokines played important roles in the regulation of circadian rhythms by exercise to affect metabolic diseases, which may be a potential mechanism for chrono-exercise to affect metabolic health. Conclusion was drawn that chrono-exercise could be an effective prescription for circadian rhythm disorder-related pathologies, and synchronizing chrono-exercise and meal timing with the molecular clock would also maximize the beneficial effects of exercise on systemic metabolic health. Future research should address the effects of different exercises at different times of the day on the metabolic health of the body to maximize the benefits of exercise.