Effects of Exercise Combined With Green Tea in Non-Aging on Anthropometric and Blood Lipids in Non-Aging Overweight/Obesity Adults-A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis

Increasing physical activity and drinking green tea are alternate non-surgical or pharmaceutical complementary treatments that many individuals opt to employ to manage overweight/obesity, and a number of recent clinical randomized controlled studies (RCTs) have shown interest in combining the two. The effectiveness of these three therapies in treating overweight/obesity has not been summarized, compared, or interpreted. A reticulated meta-analysis is superior than a meta-analysis for comparing and rating the effectiveness of different therapies for a particular condition. Through a reticulated meta-analysis, we wanted to examine the efficacy of three alternative supplementary treatments for overweight/obesity, namely green tea, physical activity, and green tea coupled with physical activity, and to provide recommendations. A total of 44 RCTs assessing the effects of nine alternative supplementary treatments on body weight, BMI, body fat percentage, waist circumference, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein, and high-density lipoprotein were included. Green tea combined with aerobic exercise may be optimal for reducing body weight, BMI, TC, and LDL; green tea combined with resistance training may be optimal for reducing body fat percentage and waist circumference; aerobic exercise may be optimal for reducing TG; and resistance combined with aerobic exercise may be optimal for increasing HDL. Nevertheless, based on the NMA results for the aforementioned eight indicators, we believe that the combination of green tea and increased physical activity is preferable to green tea or increased physical activity alone for non-elderly adult populations seeking non-surgical or pharmacological treatment or management of overweight/obesity.