Inflammation biomarker and physical exercise: A bibliometric study

Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, Universitas Negeri Makassar, Makassar, Indonesia

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Abstract

Physical exercise is widely recognized not only for its role in improving physical fitness and functional capacity, but also for its significant impact on various biological systems, including the immune response and inflammation. This study aims to determine research trends on inflammatory biomarkers and physical exercise over a 10-year period. Data collection was conducted based on the Scopus database. The database was then visualized using the VosViewer program. Based on a bibliometric analysis of 667 publications on inflammatory biomarkers and physical exercise from 2015 to 2025, the most research trends were found in 2024 with 84 publications, followed by 2018 with 79 publications and 2019 with 71 publications. Mapping the development of research publications based on keywords (co-occurrence) related to the relationship between physical activity and inflammation is in 8 clusters, while based on authors there are 6 author clusters consisting of 38 items. Co-citation analysis shows Cohen J and Statistical Power appear most prominently in the middle and are the brightest in color, indicating that these references are highly cited or have strong links with other sources. This research can be a consideration in determining research related to inflammatory biomarkers and physical activity.