ReviewJournal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985)2021
Heat therapy: mechanistic underpinnings and applications to cardiovascular health.
Review in Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985), 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 65 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
65 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 98 citations in OpenAlex.
- The effects of hot-water immersion on cardiovascular and cardiorespiratory health of healthy adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Physiological reports · 2026Pooled it
- Hot Yoga: A Systematic Review of the Physiological, Functional and Psychological Responses and Adaptations.Sports medicine - open · 2025Pooled it
- Feasibility of unsupervised, home-based leg heat therapy in older adults: a pilot, sham-controlled trial.Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) · 2025Trial
- Post-exercise hot water immersion enhances haemodynamic and vascular benefits of exercise without further improving cardiorespiratory fitness, glucose, lipids or inflammation.The Journal of physiology · 2025Trial
- Acute effects of cold, heat and contrast pressure therapy on forearm muscles regeneration in combat sports athletes: a randomized clinical trial.Scientific reports · 2024Trial
- Effects of regular sauna bathing in conjunction with exercise on cardiovascular function: a multi-arm, randomized controlled trial.American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology · 2022Trial
- Effects of home-based leg heat therapy on walking performance in patients with symptomatic peripheral artery disease: a pilot randomized trial.Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) · 2022Trial
- Changes in cardiac function before and after hot water immersion and endurance exercise in middle-aged individuals with overweight or obesity.European journal of applied physiology · 2026Article
- Cardiometabolic effects of contrast therapy: A systematic review.Experimental physiology · 2026Article
- Thermal and cardiovascular responses to sauna are attenuated by adding cold water immersion to cooling breaks.Experimental physiology · 2026Article
- Whole-blood transcriptomic response to whole-body hyperthermia in participants with major depressive disorder.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2026Article
- Three hours of targeted limb passive heating increases conduit artery shear rates and lowers vascular stiffness.Physiological reports · 2026Article
- Identifying the interaction between skin temperature, maintained thermal comfort, and conduit artery shear rate through limb passive heating.Physiological reports · 2026Article
- Impact of Adherence to a Plant-Based Residential Lifestyle Medicine Program on Cardiometabolic Disease Risk Factors.Nutrients · 2026Observational
- The physiology of survival: Heat.Experimental physiology · 2026Article
- Passive heat therapy is feasible but does not affect cardiometabolic health outcomes in persons with spinal cord injury - a pilot study.Experimental physiology · 2026Article
- Noradrenergic regulation of skeletal muscle oxygen pressures: Impact of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and heat therapy.Experimental physiology · 2026Article
- Effects of Bathtub Bathing and Sauna Practices on Cardiovascular and Systemic Health: A Narrative Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Review
- Acute hot-water immersion augments the diastolic blood pressure nocturnal dip in healthy adults.Experimental physiology · 2026Article
- Ultrasonic exposure enhances the body's antioxidant capacity.Journal of clinical biochemistry and nutrition · 2026Article
5 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death worldwide, and novel therapies are drastically needed to prevent or delay the onset of CVD to reduce the societal and healthcare burdens associated with these chronic diseases. One such therapy is "heat therapy," or chronic, repeated use of hot baths or saunas. Although using heat exposure to improve health is not a new concept, it has received renewed attention in recent years as a growing number of studies have demonstrated robust and widespread beneficial effects of heat therapy on cardiovascular health. Here, we review the existing literature, with particular focus on the molecular mechanisms that underscore the cardiovascular benefits of this practice.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic 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 Socratic graph.