ArticleSports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.)2017
Combined Oral Contraceptives Increase High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein but Not Haptoglobin in Female Athletes.
Article in Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 43 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effect of oral contraceptive use on cardiorespiratory and immune function in premenopausal women involved in exercise: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Pooled it
- Perspectives on Concurrent Strength and Endurance Training in Healthy Adult Females: A Systematic Review.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2024Pooled it
- Interplay of Total Antioxidant Capacity and Oxidative Stress Hydroperoxides with Circulating Biomarkers of Inflammation and Iron Status According to Oral Contraception Use.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Impact of Menstrual Cycle and Oral Contraceptives on Haematological and Inflammatory Biomarkers in Highly Trained Female Athletes.Drug testing and analysis · 2025Article
- Oral contraceptive pill phase alters mechanisms contributing to cutaneous microvascular function in response to local heating.American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology · 2025Article
- Physical activity and diet pattern do not mitigate C-reactive protein increases associated with oral contraceptive use.PloS one · 2025Article
- Sex Differences and Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy Outcomes in Runners with Achilles or Hamstring Tendinopathy.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Effects of the Menstrual Cycle and Hormonal Contraceptive Use on Metabolic Outcomes, Strength Performance, and Recovery: A Narrative Review.Metabolites · 2024Review
- Comparison of the cytokine responses to acute strength exercise between oral contraceptive users and naturally cycling women.European journal of applied physiology · 2024Article
- Article
- C-Reactive Protein: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, False Test Results and a Novel Diagnostic Algorithm for Clinicians.Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Does chronic oral contraceptive use detrimentally affect C-reactive protein or iron status for endurance-trained women?Physiological reports · 2023Article
- Response to Mechanical Properties and Physiological Challenges of Fascia: Diagnosis and Rehabilitative Therapeutic Intervention for Myofascial System Disorders.Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Effects of biological sex and oral contraceptive pill use on cutaneous microvascular endothelial function and nitric oxide-dependent vasodilation in humans.Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) · 2023Article
- Understanding the female athlete: molecular mechanisms underpinning menstrual phase differences in exercise metabolism.European journal of applied physiology · 2023Review
- Microvascular endothelial function following cessation of long-term oral contraceptive pill use: A case report.Experimental physiology · 2023Article
- Association between Oral Contraceptive Use and the High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein Level in Premenopausal Korean Women.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Temporal changes in blood oxidative stress biomarkers across the menstrual cycle and with oral contraceptive use in active women.European journal of applied physiology · 2021Article
- Sex differences and considerations for female specific nutritional strategies: a narrative review.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2021Review
- Oxidative Stress Is Increased in Combined Oral Contraceptives Users and Is Positively Associated with High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundNo studies have examined the effects of oral hormonal contraception on chronic low-grade inflammation as assessed by stratified levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) in athletes. We explored the impact of combined oral contraceptives (OCs) on serum hsCRP, haptoglobin, triglycerides and cholesterol in white female athletes.
methodsItalian sportswomen (n = 205; mean age 24 ± 5.3 years; body mass index 21 ± 2.2 kg m
resultsProgressive hsCRP levels were evaluated in OC users (n = 53) compared to non-OC users (n = 152). Levels of hsCRP from 3.0 to <10.0 mg L
conclusionsOC use markedly elevated chronic low-grade inflammation in athletes, which could predispose to a higher inflammatory response to physical stress and elevate cardiovascular risk. Physical activity without OC use seemed to favor low hsCRP. Further research is needed to extend our results and to elucidate the potential effects on athletic performance of chronically elevated hsCRP. Our findings would be useful for sport physicians interpreting blood tests in athletes.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.