The Study
Combined aerobic and resistance training decreases inflammation markers in healthy men
This study showed that when healthy young men did a mix of running and weightlifting for 6 months, their body’s inflammation levels went down. But it doesn’t prove that the exercise directly caused the drop — maybe other things changed too. It’s like noticing your phone battery lasts longer after you turn off apps — you think it’s because of the apps, but maybe your phone just got cooler.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Men who did cardio and weight training more often (4–6 days a week) saw bigger drops in body inflammation than those who trained less (2–3 days a week). Everyone who trained lost some belly fat, and that helped lower inflammation.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 545 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — reducing belly fat through regular exercise can lower harmful inflammation linked to chronic diseases, even in healthy young men.
- 2Training 4–6 days/week lowered MCP-1 and TNF-α more than 2–3 days/week.
- 3Both groups lowered hs-CRP, leptin, and resistin.
- 4Belly fat loss matched drops in MCP-1, leptin, adiponectin, and resistin.
- 5IL-6 didn't change.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports
Year
2018
Authors
J. Ihalainen, M. Schumann, M. Schumann, Daniela Eklund, M. Hämäläinen, E. Moilanen, G. Paulsen, K. Häkkinen, A. Mero
Related Content
Claims (6)
Regular resistance training lowers markers of muscle damage and inflammation due to physiological adaptations.
After 24 weeks of combined aerobic and resistance training, interleukin-6 levels in healthy young men do not change significantly, even though other markers of inflammation decrease.
Healthy young men who exercise with both cardio and strength training four to six times per week experience larger decreases in two specific inflammatory markers than those who train two to three times per week.
Healthy young men who do both cardio and weight training have higher leg press strength and greater peak oxygen uptake compared to those who do not.
In healthy young men, doing combined aerobic and resistance exercise at least twice a week for 24 weeks lowers blood levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, leptin, and resistin.
In healthy young men who perform long-term combined aerobic and resistance training, a decrease in abdominal fat is associated with corresponding decreases in the blood levels of MCP-1, leptin, adiponectin, and resistin.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.