Cardiovascular responses during blood flow-restricted resistance exercise: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

IF 3.2 Q1 SPORT SCIENCES

BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine Pub Date : 2026-03-09 eCollection Date: 2026-01-01 DOI:10.1136/bmjsem-2025-002989

Yashveer Singh, Leslie A Avila, Marty Spranger

{"title":"Cardiovascular responses during blood flow-restricted resistance exercise: a systematic review with meta-analysis.","authors":"Yashveer Singh, Leslie A Avila, Marty Spranger","doi":"10.1136/bmjsem-2025-002989","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Context: Blood flow-restricted resistance exercise (BFR-RE) is used to elicit hypertrophy and strength adaptations with low external loads, making it attractive for clinical and rehabilitative populations. However, concerns regarding exaggerated cardiovascular responses highlight the need to clarify haemodynamic effects before broader clinical adoption.Objectives: To compare acute cardiovascular responses-systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and heart rate (HR)-during low-intensity BFR-RE (LI-BFR), low-intensity resistance exercise (LI-RE) and high-intensity resistance exercise (HI-RE).Data sources: MEDLINE, EMBASE, ResearchGate, Web of Science and Cochrane Library were searched through February 2025. Randomised controlled trials comparing SBP, DBP and HR during LI-BFR versus LI-RE and/or HI-RE in healthy adults were included.Data synthesis: Four trials for LI-BFR versus LI-RE (n=86) and three for LI-BFR versus HI-RE (n=46) were identified, with six reports eligible for random-effects meta-analyses adjusted for muscle and age. SBP (MD=14.06 mm Hg; 95% CI (0.24 to 27.90) and DBP (MD=11.18 mm Hg; 95% CI (2.8 to 19.57)) were significantly increased during LI-BFR versus LI-RE, while HR was not significant (MD=6.00 bpm; 95% CI (-5.47 to 17.5)). HI-RE and LI-BFR did not differ in effects on SBP (MD=0.53 mm Hg; 95% CI (-15.21 to 16.28)), DBP (MD=2.54 mm Hg; 95% CI(-5.59 to 10.67)) or HR (MD=-5.90 bpm; 95% CI (-12.55 to 0.74)). However, risk of bias and certainty of evidence analyses presented some concerns of bias and low to moderate certainty.Conclusion: Arterial blood pressure is exaggerated during LI-BFR when compared with LI-RE. Data on real-time cardiovascular responses during BFR-RE are limited; therefore, future studies should be designed to measure haemodynamic parameters during exercise accurately.Prospero registration number: CRD42025633694.","PeriodicalId":47417,"journal":{"name":"BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine","volume":"12 1","pages":"e002989"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2000,"publicationDate":"2026-03-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12983930/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjsem-2025-002989","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2026/1/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"SPORT SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Context: Blood flow-restricted resistance exercise (BFR-RE) is used to elicit hypertrophy and strength adaptations with low external loads, making it attractive for clinical and rehabilitative populations. However, concerns regarding exaggerated cardiovascular responses highlight the need to clarify haemodynamic effects before broader clinical adoption.

Objectives: To compare acute cardiovascular responses-systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and heart rate (HR)-during low-intensity BFR-RE (LI-BFR), low-intensity resistance exercise (LI-RE) and high-intensity resistance exercise (HI-RE).

Data sources: MEDLINE, EMBASE, ResearchGate, Web of Science and Cochrane Library were searched through February 2025. Randomised controlled trials comparing SBP, DBP and HR during LI-BFR versus LI-RE and/or HI-RE in healthy adults were included.

Data synthesis: Four trials for LI-BFR versus LI-RE (n=86) and three for LI-BFR versus HI-RE (n=46) were identified, with six reports eligible for random-effects meta-analyses adjusted for muscle and age. SBP (MD=14.06 mm Hg; 95% CI (0.24 to 27.90) and DBP (MD=11.18 mm Hg; 95% CI (2.8 to 19.57)) were significantly increased during LI-BFR versus LI-RE, while HR was not significant (MD=6.00 bpm; 95% CI (-5.47 to 17.5)). HI-RE and LI-BFR did not differ in effects on SBP (MD=0.53 mm Hg; 95% CI (-15.21 to 16.28)), DBP (MD=2.54 mm Hg; 95% CI(-5.59 to 10.67)) or HR (MD=-5.90 bpm; 95% CI (-12.55 to 0.74)). However, risk of bias and certainty of evidence analyses presented some concerns of bias and low to moderate certainty.

Conclusion: Arterial blood pressure is exaggerated during LI-BFR when compared with LI-RE. Data on real-time cardiovascular responses during BFR-RE are limited; therefore, future studies should be designed to measure haemodynamic parameters during exercise accurately.

Prospero registration number: CRD42025633694.

Abstract Image

查看原文本刊更多论文

血流受限抵抗运动中的心血管反应：荟萃分析的系统回顾。

背景：血流受限阻力运动（BFR-RE）用于诱导低外部负荷下的肥大和力量适应，对临床和康复人群具有吸引力。然而，对夸大心血管反应的担忧强调了在更广泛的临床应用之前澄清血流动力学效应的必要性。目的：比较低强度BFR-RE （LI-BFR）、低强度阻力运动（LI-RE）和高强度阻力运动（HI-RE）期间的急性心血管反应——收缩压（SBP）、舒张压（DBP）和心率（HR）。数据来源：MEDLINE， EMBASE, ResearchGate， Web of Science和Cochrane Library检索至2025年2月。纳入了比较健康成人LI-BFR与LI-RE和/或HI-RE期间收缩压、舒张压和心率的随机对照试验。数据综合：确定了4项LI-BFR与LI-RE的试验（n=86）和3项LI-BFR与HI-RE的试验（n=46），其中6份报告符合随机效应荟萃分析，调整了肌肉和年龄。与LI-RE相比，LI-BFR期间收缩压（MD=14.06 mm Hg, 95% CI(0.24 ~ 27.90)）和舒张压（MD=11.18 mm Hg, 95% CI(2.8 ~ 19.57)）显著升高，而HR无显著差异（MD=6.00 bpm, 95% CI(-5.47 ~ 17.5)）。HI-RE和LI-BFR对收缩压（MD=0.53 mm Hg; 95% CI(-15.21至16.28)）、舒张压（MD=2.54 mm Hg; 95% CI(-5.59至10.67)）或心率（MD=-5.90 bpm; 95% CI(-12.55至0.74)）的影响没有差异。然而，证据分析的偏倚风险和确定性存在偏倚和低至中等确定性的问题。结论：与LI-RE相比，LI-BFR期间动脉血压升高。BFR-RE期间实时心血管反应的数据有限；因此，未来的研究应旨在准确测量运动时的血流动力学参数。普洛斯彼罗注册号：CRD42025633694。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊