SynthesisFrontiers in sports and active living2022
Examination of Sex-Specific Participant Inclusion in Exercise Physiology Endothelial Function Research: A Systematic Review.
Synthesis in Frontiers in sports and active living, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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
13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Menstrual cycle hormones and oral contraceptives: a multimethod systems physiology-based review of their impact on key aspects of female physiology.Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) · 2023Pooled it
- Varying Influence of Menstrual Cycle Phase and Hormonal Contraceptive Use on Resistance Exercise-Induced Circulating Extracellular Vesicle and Metabolite Signalling.Journal of extracellular vesicles · 2026Trial
- Menstrual cycle phase does not influence muscle protein synthesis or whole-body myofibrillar proteolysis in response to resistance exercise.The Journal of physiology · 2025Trial
- Exercise triggers integrated lipid, sphingolipid and purine metabolic alterations in midlife women.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Article
- No Ergogenic Effect of Caffeine or Sodium Bicarbonate on Resistance Exercise Performance: A Double-Blind Crossover Study with Sex-Based Analysis.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Endocrine enigmas: vascular health in females throughout the lifespan.American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology · 2025Review
- Comparison of two ovulation tests to predict timing of the late follicular phase for menstrual cycle research in premenopausal females.Physiological reports · 2025Article
- Comparing 17β-estradiol and progesterone concentrations in young, physically active females: Insights from plasma versus serum analysis.Experimental physiology · 2025Article
- The Order of Concurrent Training Affects Acute Immunological Stress Responses and Measures of Muscular Fitness in Female Youth Judo Athletes.European journal of sport science · 2025Article
- Influence of the Menstrual Cycle and Training on the Performance of a Perturbed Single-Leg Squatting Task in Female Collegiate Athletes.Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2024Article
- Differences in cardiovascular risk factors associated with sex and gender identity, but not gender expression, in young, healthy cisgender adults.Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2024Article
- Mechanistic, participant, and movement-related factors that contribute to low-flow-mediated constriction.European journal of applied physiology · 2023Review
- Current evidence shows no influence of women's menstrual cycle phase on acute strength performance or adaptations to resistance exercise training.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: To combat historical underrepresentation of female participants in research, guidelines have been established to motivate equal participation by both sexes. However, the pervasiveness of female exclusion has not been examined in vascular exercise physiology research. The purpose of this study was to systematically quantify the sex-specific prevalence of human participants and identify the rationales for sex-specific inclusion/exclusion in research examining the impact of exercise on vascular endothelial function. Methods: A systematic search was conducted examining exercise/physical activity and vascular endothelial function, assessed via flow mediated dilation. Studies were categorized by sex: male-only, female-only, or mixed sex, including examination of the sample size of males and females. Analysis was performed examining sex-inclusion criteria in study design and reporting and rationale for inclusion/exclusion of participants on the basis of sex. Changes in proportion of female participants included in studies were examined over time in 5 year cohorts. Results: A total of 514 studies were identified, spanning 26 years (1996-2021). Of the total participants, 64% were male and 36% were female, and a male bias was identified (32% male-only vs. 12% female-only studies). Proportions of female participants in studies remained relatively constant in the last 20 years. Male-only studies were less likely to report sex in the title compared to female-only studies (27 vs. 78%, Conclusions: This systematic review provides the first analysis of sex-based inclusion/exclusion and rationale for sex-based decisions in human vascular exercise physiology research. These findings contribute to identifying the impact of research guidelines regarding inclusion of males and females and the perceived barriers to designing studies with equal sex participation, in an effort to increase female representation in vascular exercise physiology research. Systematic Review Registration: CRD42022300388.
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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.