Instagram (IG) reaches millions of people, sharing personal content and all kinds of information, including those related to exercise and health. However, the scientific quality of the posted information is questionable. Thus, this study aimed to analyze whether exercise and health information posted by popular Brazilian IG influencers has technical-scientific accuracy. A personal IG account was created to identify Brazilian IG profiles. The inclusion criteria of the accounts were: (1) having 50% of all the shared posts related to topics about exercise and health, such as nutrition, health and wellness, medicine, or physical fitness; and (2) having over 100,000 followers. Qualitative analysis revealed a low quality percentage (38.79 ± 25.43%) for all analyzed posts. Out of all the posts, only 13 (~2.7%) cited a reference endorsing the information. Moreover, the higher quality-ratio score of the posts was not directly associated with the higher educational qualification of the influencers (r = 0.313; p = 0.076). Nevertheless, the number of followers was inversely correlated with the educational qualification of the influencers (r = −0.450; p = 0.009), but not with the quality-ratio score of the posts (r = −0.178 p = 0.322). We conclude that prominent Brazilian IG influencers disseminate low-quality information about exercise and health, contributing to the wide-spreading of misinformation to millions of followers.

Brief moments of blood flow occlusion followed by reperfusion may promote enhancements in exercise performance. Thus, this study assessed the 24-h effect of post-exercise ischemic conditioning (PEIC) on exercise performance and physiological variables in trained cyclists. In a randomized, single-blind study, 28 trained cyclists (27.1 ± 1.4 years) performed a maximal incremental cycling test (MICT). The outcome measures were creatine kinase (CK), muscle soreness and perceived recovery status, heart rate, perceived exertion and power output. Immediately after the MICT, the cyclists performed 1 of the following 4 interventions: 2 sessions of 5-min occlusion/5-min reperfusion (PEIC or SHAM, 2 x 5) or 5 sessions of 2-min occlusion/2-min reperfusion (PEIC or SHAM, 5 x 2). The PEIC (50 mm Hg above the systolic blood pressure) or SHAM (20 mm Hg) treatment was applied unilaterally on alternating thighs. At 24 h after the interventions, a second MICT was performed. In all the groups, the CK levels were increased compared with the baseline (p < 0.05) after the 24-h MICT. The PEIC groups (2 x 5 and 5 x 2) felt more tired at 24 h post intervention (p < 0.05). However, both PEIC groups maintained their performance (2 x 5: p = 0.819; 5 x 2: p = 0.790), while the SHAM groups exhibited decreased performance at 24 h post intervention compared to baseline (2 x 5: p = 0.015; 5 x 2: p = 0.045). A decrease in the maximal heart rate (HR) was found only in the SHAM 2 x 5 group (p = 0.015). There were no other significant differences in the heart rate, power output or perceived exertion after 24 h compared with the baseline values for any of the interventions (p > 0.05). In conclusion, PEIC led to maintained exercise performance 24 h post intervention in trained cyclists.

Ischemic preconditioning (IPC) is purported to have beneficial effects on athletic performance, although findings are inconsistent, with some studies reporting placebo effects. The majority of studies have investigated IPC alongside a placebo condition, but without a control condition that was devoid of experimental manipulation, thereby limiting accurate determination of the IPC effects. Therefore, the aims of this study were to assess the impact of the IPC intervention, compared to both placebo and no intervention, on exercise capacity and athletic performance. A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, SPORTDiscus, Cochrane Library, and Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS) covering records from their inception until July 2023 was conducted. To qualify for inclusion, studies had to apply IPC as an acute intervention, comparing it with placebo and/or control conditions. Outcomes of interest were performance (force, number of repetitions, power, time to exhaustion, and time trial performance), physiological measurements (maximum oxygen consumption, and heart rate), or perceptual measurements (RPE). For each outcome measure, we conducted 3 independent meta-analyses (IPC vs. placebo, IPC vs. control, placebo vs. control) using an inverse-variance random-effects model. The between-treatment effects were quantified by the standardized mean difference (SMD), accompanied by their respective 95% confidence intervals. Additionally, we employed the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach to assess the level of certainty in the evidence. Seventy-nine studies were included in the quantitative analysis. Overall, IPC demonstrates a comparable effect to the placebo condition (using a low-pressure tourniquet), irrespective of the subjects' training level (all outcomes presenting p > 0.05), except for the outcome of time to exhaustion, which exhibits a small magnitude effect (SMD = 0.37; p = 0.002). Additionally, the placebo exhibited effects notably greater than the control condition (outcome: number of repetitions; SMD = 0.45; p = 0.03), suggesting a potential influence of participants' cognitive perception on the outcomes. However, the evidence is of moderate to low certainty, regardless of the comparison or outcome. IPC has significant effects compared to the control intervention, but it did not surpass the placebo condition. Its administration might be influenced by the cognitive perception of the receiving subject, and the efficacy of IPC as an ergogenic strategy for enhancing exercise capacity and athletic performance remains questionable.

Background: Chronic diseases are the leading causes of death and disability in older women. Physical exercise training programs promote beneficial effects for health and quality of life. However, exercise interruption periods may be detrimental for the hemodynamic and lipidic profiles of hypertensive older women with dyslipidemia. Methods: Nineteen hypertensive older women with dyslipidemia (exercise group: 67.5 ± 5.4 years, 1.53 ± 3.42 m, 71.84 ± 7.45 kg) performed a supervised multicomponent exercise training program (METP) during nine months, followed by a one-year detraining period (DT), while fourteen hypertensive older women (control group: 66.4 ± 5.2 years, 1.56 ± 3.10 m, 69.38 ± 5.24 kg) with dyslipidemia kept their continued daily routine without exercise. For both groups, hemodynamic and lipidic profiles and functional capacities (FCs) were assessed four times: before and after the METP and after 3 and 12 months of DT (no exercise was carried out). Results: The METP improved hemodynamic and lipidic profiles (p < 0.05), while three months of DT decreased all (p < 0.05) parameters, with the exception of diastolic blood pressure (DBP). One year of DT significantly (p < 0.01) decreased systolic blood pressure (7.85%), DBP (2.29%), resting heart rate (7.95%), blood glucose (19.14%), total cholesterol (10.27%), triglycerides (6.92%) and FC—agility (4.24%), lower- (−12.75%) and upper-body strength (−12.17%), cardiorespiratory capacity (−4.81%) and lower- (−16.16%) and upper-body flexibility (−11.11%). Conclusion: Nine months of the exercise program significantly improved the hemodynamic and lipid profiles as well as the functional capacities of hypertensive older women with dyslipidemia. Although a detraining period is detrimental to these benefits, it seems that the first three months are more prominent in these alterations.

Background: Physical inactivity is a primary cause of most chronic diseases. In addition, the negative effects of aging, physical inactivity and dyslipidemia are risk factors for cardiovascular diseases of older women. Exercise is considered fundamental for the treatment and prevention due to the benefits in the health of this population, but detraining periods after exercise can reverse them. Multicomponent exercise (ME) is a combined method of aerobic and resistance training that can improve the lipidic profile of older women with high cholesterol and triglycerides. Methods: Seventeen older women (EG: 65.3 ± 4.7 years, 1.52 ± 4.12 m) followed a supervised ME program of nine months and three months of detraining (DT), and fifteen older women (CG: 66.4 ± 5.2 years, 1.54 ± 5.58 cm) continued their daily routine, without exercise. Total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), blood glucose (GL) and functional capacity (FC) were evaluated at the beginning and at the end of the program and after three months of DT. Results: ME program improved (p < 0.05) lipidic profile: GL (−15.6%), TC (−15.3%), TG (−19.3%) and FC: agility (−13.3%), lower body strength (27.78%), upper body strength (26.3%), cardiorespiratory capacity (11.2%), lower body flexibility (66.67%) and upper body flexibility (85.72%). DT declined the lipidic profile and FC (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Lipidic profile and functional capacity can be improved with nine months of ME. Besides the negative effects of DT, three months were not enough to reverse the benefits of exercise in older women with high values of TG and TC.

It has been demonstrated that brief cycles of ischemia followed by reperfusion (IR) applied before exercise can improve performance and, IR intervention, applied immediately after exercise (post-exercise ischemic conditioning—PEIC) exerts a potential ergogenic effect to accelerate recovery. Thus, the purpose of this systematic review with meta-analysis was to identify the effects of PEIC on exercise performance, recovery and the responses of associated physiological parameters, such as creatine kinase, perceived recovery and muscle soreness, over 24 h after its application. From 3281 studies, six involving 106 subjects fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Compared to sham (cuff administration with low pressure) and control interventions (no cuff administration), PEIC led to faster performance recovery (p = 0.004; ES = −0.49) and lower increase in creatine kinase (p < 0.001; effect size (ES) = −0.74) and muscle soreness (p < 0.001; ES = −0.88) over 24 h. The effectiveness of this intervention is more pronounced in subjects with low/moderate fitness level and at least a total time of 10 min of ischemia (e.g., two cycles of 5 min) is necessary to promote positive effects.