Table 1.
Notable passive experiments associated with foundational medical knowledge or mechanistic physiological insights related to exercise.
| Source | Reference | Cited By, n |
Study Type | Participants, n |
Concept(s) | Representative Figure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hagberg et al, 1982 | 142 | 328 | Experiment of Nature | 30 | Anaerobic threshold and McArdle's disease | 2 |
| Morris et al, 1953 | 252 | 2678 | Natural Experiment | ~31,000 | Occupational physical activity and cardiovascular disease | 3 |
| Paffenbarger et al, 1978 | 274 | 2637 | Natural Experiment | ~17,000 | Physical activity and cardiovascular disease | -- |
| Feldman et al, 2015 | 111 | 63 | Natural Experiment | ~38,000 | Cardiorespiratory fitness and risk of death | 4 |
| Farahmand et al, 2003 | 107 | 98 | Natural Experiment | ~75,000 | Risk of death among cross-country skiers | -- |
| Currens and White, 1961 | 80 | 176 | Natural Experiment | 1 | Large coronary arties in a lifelong Champion runner | 5 |
| Haskell et al, 1993 | 152 | 243 | Natural Experiment | 22 | Improved vascular function in ultramarathon runners | -- |
| Mayer et al, 1956 | 231 | 502 | Natural Experiment | 213 | Occupational physical activity, caloric consumption, and body weight | 6 |
| Westerterp et al, 1986 | 370 | 289 | Natural Experiment | 4 | Caloric consumption during Tour de France cycling | -- |
| Williams et al, 2005 | 374 | 34 | Experiment of Nature | 70 | Physical activity and body composition among twins | 7 |
| Bathgate et al, 2018 | 23 | 31 | Experiment of Nature | 2 | Discordant physical activity among twins | 8 |
| Fontana et al, 2004 | 118 | 1028 | Natural Experiment | 36 | Caloric restriction and cardiovascular disease | -- |
| Coyle et al, 1984 | 75 | 568 | Natural Experiment | 7 | Cardiovascular plasticity and detraining | -- |
| Trappe et al, 2013 | 351 | 112 | Natural Experiment | 15 | Cardiorespiratory fitness and aging | 9 |
| Heath et al, 1981 | 155 | 658 | Natural Experiment | 50 | Cardiorespiratory fitness and aging | 10 |
| Trappe et al, 1996 | 352 | 312 | Natural Experiment | 53 | Cardiorespiratory fitness and aging | -- |
| McGuire et al, 2001 | 237 | 436 | Natural Experiment | 5 | Cardiorespiratory fitness and bed rest | 11 |
| Booth, 1989 | 35 | 9 | Natural Experiment | -- | Cardiorespiratory fitness and aging | 12 |
| Alam and Smirk, 1938 | 4 | 64 | Experiment of Nature | 1 | Blood pressure reflex and exercise | 13 |
| Pryor et al, 1990 | 291 | 107 | Experiment of Nature | 13 | Muscle sympathethic nerve activity and McArdle's disease | -- |
| Marshall et al, 1961 | 230 | 116 | Natural Experiment | 7 | Blood pressure during exercise and sympathetic nervous system | 14 |
| Dominelli et al, 2020 | 92 | 22 | Experiment of Nature | 25 | Hemoglobin-oxygen affinity and hypoxia | 15 |