Cardio

1. Cardiopreliminary · human dataAdded 27 July 2026

   Home Thai-boxing HIIT lifts fitness in six weeks

   Six weeks of home-based Thai-boxing HIIT improved VO2 max, resting blood pressure, resting heart rate, grip strength, trunk endurance and body fat more than a general health-education programme in 58 sedentary young adults. Muscle mass and fat-free mass did not differ between groups.

   ⚠What it shows: One 6-week RCT, n=58 sedentary young adults in Thailand; short duration, no long-term follow-up, and the comparison group received a different active programme.Study · J Educ Health Promot

   Full breakdown →HIIT explained →VO2max Calculator →Effects of home-based Thai-boxing high-intensity interval training on physical fitness and body composition in sedentary young adults: A six-week randomized controlled trial. J Educ Health Promot 2026
2. Cardiopreliminary · human dataAdded 27 July 2026

   Knowing your heart risk nudges behaviour change

   Telling people living with HIV their personal 5- and 10-year cardiovascular risk, plus a brief personalised behaviour intervention, significantly improved heart-disease knowledge and reduced some risk behaviours over 6 months. Smoking and drinking rates fell more than in controls but not significantly.

   ⚠What it shows: Non-randomised multicentre trial (362 matched pairs after propensity-score matching) in people living with HIV in one Chinese province; behaviour changes were modest and several outcomes were not statistically significant.Study · Infect Dis Ther

   Full breakdown →Heart Age Calculator →Early Warning and Behavioural Intervention on the Cardiovascular Disease Risk in People Living with HIV: A Multicentre Non-Randomized Controlled Trial. Infect Dis Ther 2026
3. Cardiopreliminary · human dataAdded 27 July 2026

   Smart ring 'fitness age' tracks sleep and steps

   Among 442 users of a smart ring, the device's "cardio age" estimate correlated with sleep efficiency, REM sleep, sleep duration and daily steps, measures not fed into the algorithm, and 82.6% of users were rated younger than their actual age. All the authors work for the company selling the feature.

   ⚠What it shows: Retrospective observational analysis of 442 self-selected ring owners over 12 months, run entirely by employees of the company that sells the feature; correlations were weak (around r = -0.2) and no laboratory fitness comparison was reported.Study · Front Digit Health

   Full breakdown →Biological age explained →Heart Age Calculator →Wearable-derived cardiovascular fitness age and its lifestyle correlates in 442 adults. Front Digit Health 2026
4. Cardiowell supported · human dataAdded 26 July 2026

   Regular stretching cut arterial stiffness, one bout did not

   A meta-analysis of twelve stretching studies found that 4-12 week stretching programmes produced a large reduction in pulse wave velocity, a measure of arterial stiffness (SMD -1.02), while a single stretching session produced only a small, non-significant change. Repeating each stretch three or more times was linked to the biggest benefit.

   ⚠What it shows: Systematic review pooling just six acute and six longitudinal studies in adults, with wide confidence intervals (longitudinal SMD -1.02, 95% CI -1.79 to -0.25). The authors treat it as a basis for designing a proper efficacy trial, not proof that stretching lowers cardiovascular disease risk.Systematic review · Sports Med

   Full breakdown →All-cause mortality explained →Heart Age Calculator →Musculoskeletal Stretching and Arterial Stiffness: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Acute and Longitudinal Interventions. Sports Med 2026
5. Cardiopreliminary · human dataAdded 26 July 2026

   Meeting activity guidelines linked to 42% lower mortality

   Among 6313 UK Biobank adults with severe mental illness wearing accelerometers, meeting the recommended 150 minutes a week of moderate-to-vigorous activity was associated with 18% lower incident cardiovascular disease, 42% lower all-cause mortality and 49% lower cardiovascular mortality. Adding moderate light-intensity activity on top was linked to the lowest risk of all.

   ⚠What it shows: Prospective observational cohort, not a trial: 6313 UK Biobank participants with severe mental illness (mean age 61.05, 33.9% men), median 7 years of follow-up, with 233 deaths from any cause and 88 from cardiovascular disease. Activity was measured once by accelerometer, and reverse causation, sicker people moving less, cannot be ruled out.Study · J Am Heart Assoc

   Full breakdown →All-cause mortality explained →Steps to Calories Calculator →Association of Accelerometer-Derived Physical Activity with Incident Cardiovascular Diseases and Mortality in People With Severe Mental Illness. J Am Heart Assoc 2026

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