This is very interesting stuff!
One limitation in looking at these studies, is that the links are only to summaries. As they often say, the devil is in the details.
One immediate comment on the second study results. They report the results as significant at a P of <0.05, for everything measured, but don't cite the numbers.
For the non-statisticians, this is very critical, as a very small change will change the conclusions.
Also, the numbers used in all these studies are quite small, which can induce considerable bias.
In the last study, I was floored with the statement:
"Seven volunteers in the IHE group could not finish the 720-kJ time trial either at Pre-T or at Post-T. "
WHY?? That is a remarkable outcome. That indicates to me a substantial methodological flaw.
However, I think this whole topic bears considerable scrutiny.
