Effects of Blood Flow Restriction Exercise on Muscle Endurance and Aerobic Capacity in Different Populations: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

There is a lack of comprehensive understanding of the effect on aerobic capacity and muscle endurance by BFR’s application in different populations. SO the target was to elaborate the influence of BFR training on aerobic capacity and muscle endurance in different populations. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted. Literature was retrieved in PubMed, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library databases, Embase, CNKI (China National Knowledge Internet) and CBM (China Biology Medicine). 64 studies met the inclusion criteria, and 19 trials were included in the quantitative analysis. The main results showed that aerobic exercise combined with BFR (AE-BFR) and low-load resistance training with BFR (LBFR-RT) significantly improved athletes' aerobic capacity and muscle endurance, compared with aerobic exercise (AE) and low-load resistance training (LL-RT) (WMD = 2.47, p < 0.01; SMD = 1.15, p < 0.01). However, in the healthy, elderly and patients, no similar significant difference was found. In general, BFR training can significantly improve the muscle endurance and aerobic capacity of athletes. However, it remains to be seen whether the benefits of BFR are greater than non-BFR in the healthy and elderly, the impact of BFR on the patient needs to consider the pathophysiological characteristics of different diseases. The current evidence doesn’t support that anaerobic exercise (ANA-E) or high intensity interval training (HIIT) with BFR brings additional aerobic capacity gains. In addition, some new technological attempts deserve attention.