Passive heating has been therapeutically used to treat a range of health conditions. Further, this intervention presents as a potential exercise mimetic strategy showing acute and chronic effects on skeletal muscle adaptation and neuromuscular systems. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesise the existing evidence on the effects of passive heating on muscle hypertrophy and neuromuscular function. Seven databases were searched (i.e., PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL, EMBASE, Cochrane, and SPORTDiscus) from 1937 to October 2019. Eligible studies included original papers using healthy animals or human samples (≥18 years; both sexes) that have used a control group or condition. Ten original articles were included in this review and four in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis detected an increase in muscle mass in animal samples seven days after passive heating (I2 = 65%, P < 0.01). The systematic review showed preliminary evidence that repeated passive heating exposures may promote muscle hypertrophy in animals and humans. Moreover, augmented muscle strength (involuntary and voluntary) may be observed after long-term passive heating (animals and humans) and increases in corticospinal excitability in humans after a single passive heating session. Passive heating has shown some potential benefits for skeletal muscle mass gain and muscle force improvement. Therefore, it is plausible to suggest that passive heating might be a worthwhile alternative to be recommended as an exercise mimetic for those people who lack or are unable to complete sufficient exercise.

中文翻译：

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被动加热干预对肌肉肥大和神经肌肉功能的影响：荟萃分析的初步系统评价

被动加热已被用于治疗一系列健康状况。此外，这种干预是一种潜在的运动模拟策略，显示出对骨骼肌适应和神经肌肉系统的急性和慢性影响。本系统评价和荟萃分析旨在综合现有的关于被动加热对肌肉肥大和神经肌肉功能影响的证据。从 1937 年到 2019 年 10 月，检索了七个数据库（即 PubMed、Web of Science、Scopus、CINAHL、EMBASE、Cochrane 和 SPORTDiscus）。符合条件的研究包括使用健康动物或人类样本（≥18 岁；男女皆宜）的原始论文使用了对照组或条件。本综述收录了 10 篇原创文章，荟萃分析中收录了 4 篇原创文章。荟萃分析检测到被动加热 7 天后动物样本的肌肉质量增加（I2 = 65%，P < 0.01）。系统评价显示初步证据表明，反复被动加热暴露可能会促进动物和人类的肌肉肥大。此外，在长期被动加热（动物和人类）后可以观察到肌肉力量（非自愿和自愿）增强，并且在单次被动加热会话后人类皮质脊髓兴奋性增加。被动加热已显示出对骨骼肌质量增加和肌肉力量改善的一些潜在益处。因此，对于那些缺乏或无法完成足够运动的人来说，被动加热可能是一种值得推荐的运动模拟物，这是有道理的。