Effects of short-bout accumulated exercise on postprandial metabolism in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective To systematically evaluate the acute effects of short-bout accumulated exercise (SBAE) interrupting prolonged sedentary behaviour on postprandial glucose, insulin, and triglycerides in adults. Methods Systematic searches in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, and CNKI (inception to 10 December 2025) identified randomised crossover trials comparing SBAE (≤10 min/bout, inter-bout interval ≥30 min or adequate recovery) with continuous sedentary behaviour. Outcomes included postprandial glucose, insulin, and triglyceride AUCs. Standardised mean differences (SMD) were pooled using random-effects models. Results Thirty-one publications reporting data from 29 independent cohorts involving 573 unique participants (mean age 47.8 ± 20.3 years; 47.5% female; mean BMI 29.0 ± 5.1 kg/m²) were included. Compared with continuous sedentary behaviour, SBAE significantly reduced glucose AUC (SMD = −0.53, 95% CI: −0.71 to −0.34, P < 0.001) and insulin AUC (SMD = −0.58, 95% CI: −0.85 to −0.31, P < 0.001), but not triglyceride AUC (SMD = −0.17, 95% CI: −0.48 to 0.15, P = 0.306).Exploratory subgroup analyses showed statistically significant reductions in glucose and insulin for walking and for inter-bout intervals < 60 min, but not for standing alone or intervals ≥ 60 min. A statistically significant insulin-lowering effect was observed in obese individuals. Conclusion SBAE acutely improves postprandial glucose and insulin control. Exploratory subgroup analyses showed statistically significant effects for walking and for inter-bout intervals < 60 min, but these comparisons are observational and no formal interaction test was conducted. These findings provide preliminary evidence for acute SBAE in sedentary populations, though long-term health effects and real-world generalisability require further investigation. © 2026 The Authors.