OBJECTIVE: Long-term exercise is recommended as a weight loss strategy, but its specific effects on appetite-regulating hormones in overweight and obese individuals remain unclear. This study aims to evaluate the effect of long-term exercise on appetite-regulating hormones in this population through a meta-analysis. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, EBSCO, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Embase for randomized controlled trials from database inception to December 2024. Overweight or obese individuals were included, and the outcome indicators were appetite-regulating hormones (ghrelin, acylated ghrelin, peptide YY, and glucagon-like peptide 1). Meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.4 and Stata 16. RESULTS: Long-term exercise interventions significantly increased ghrelin (standardized mean difference (SMD) 0.46, p = 0.007) and glucagon-like peptide 1 levels (SMD 0.43, p = 0.04). However, their effects on acylated ghrelin (SMD -0.18, p = 0.39) and peptide YY (SMD 0.23, p = 0.39) were not significant. Substantial heterogeneity was relatively high, suggesting potential influences of individual differences and intervention protocols. High-intensity interval training showed the most pronounced effects on appetite-regulating hormone modulation, followed by resistance training. The mechanisms underlying these effects remain unclear. Short-term training exhibited more notable effects on peptide YY and glucagon-like peptide 1 levels, but these effects diminished with extended training duration. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term exercise can modulate appetite-regulating hormones and suppress appetite in overweight or obese individuals, with high-intensity interval training and resistance training demonstrating significant potential for appetite reduction, which deserves further in-depth research.

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