ArticlePloS one2019
Physical activity is associated with cardiac autonomic function in adolescent men.
Article in PloS one, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 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
18 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Association Between Physical Activity, Heart Rate Variability and Major Depressive Disorders: An Umbrella Review.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Pooled it
- Effectiveness of mHealth interventions targeting physical activity, sedentary behaviour, sleep or nutrition on emotional, behavioural and eating disorders in adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in digital health · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of weight loss and weight loss maintenance on cardiac autonomic function in obesity: a randomized controlled trial.Applied physiology, nutrition, and metabolism = Physiologie appliquee, nutrition et metabolisme · 2023Trial
- Effects of Walking Football During Ramadan Fasting on Heart Rate Variability and Physical Fitness in Healthy Middle-Aged Males.American journal of men's healthTrial
- Cardiac rhythm development: A wearable device index of risk for physical and mental illness in adolescence.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026Article
- Development of the Cardiovascular System During Adolescence.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2026Review
- Article
- Associations between self-reports of physical activity, interoceptive awareness, autonomic regulation, premature ejaculation, and erectile dysfunction in Chinese men.International journal of impotence research · 2025Article
- Heart Rate Variability in Adolescents with Autistic Spectrum Disorder Practicing a Virtual Reality Using Two Different Interaction Devices (Concrete and Abstract): A Prospective Randomized Crossover Controlled Trial.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Assessment and Correlates of Different Phenotypical Characteristics of Psychological Flexibility in Adapting to Chronic Pain: A Feasibility Study.Pain practice : the official journal of World Institute of Pain · 2025Article
- Heart Rate Variability Applications in Strength and Conditioning: A Narrative Review.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2024Review
- Article
- Article
- Psychological status and physical performance are independently associated with autonomic function.Biomedical engineering online · 2022Article
- Association between cardiac autonomic function and physical activity in patients at high risk of sudden cardiac death: a cohort study.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2021Article
- Acute effects of inspiratory muscle training at different intensities in healthy young people.Irish journal of medical science · 2021Article
- Relationship between domains of physical activity and cardiac autonomic modulation in adults: a cross-sectional study.Scientific reports · 2020Observational
- Role of Type and Volume of Recreational Physical Activity on Heart Rate Variability in Men.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionModerate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) has been shown to be associated with autonomic regulation of the heart measured with heart rate variability (HRV). Only a limited amount of studies have examined this relationship among adolescents, and the effects of increasing PA on HRV is not well established. The aim of this study was to investigate how overall self-reported PA associates with HRV in a large population of adolescent men.
methodsThe study was part of the Finnish MOPO study consisting of 3629 young men (mean age 18, SD 1 years) enrolled for military call-ups in 2009-2013. Overall PA, including both the intensity and frequency of habitual exercise, was assessed by a questionnaire and the respondents categorized into four groups of PA (low, moderate, high and top). Short-term HRV, physical performance and body composition were measured.
resultsHRV, as indicated by mean ln rMSSD, increased according the PA categories as follows: low (3.65 ms (SD 0.7), p<0.001 vs. other groups), moderate (3.78 ms (0.6) p<0.001), high (3.85 ms (0.6) p<0.001) and top activity (3.93 ms (0.6) p<0.001) According to the multivariable linear regression analysis, a significant positive relationship (β = 0.129, p<0.05) was observed between self-reported PA and ln rMSSD independent of body mass index, waist circumference and fat percentage.
conclusionsPhysical activity was positively associated with cardiac autonomic regulation, in adolescent men. A linear increase in HRV according to PA was observed, suggesting that even slight increments in PA might be beneficial for cardiac autonomic regulation The results emphasize the importance of physical activity in improving cardiac health in young people.
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.