A 20-minute session of electrical stimulation on the thigh muscles increases heart rate and causes small changes in cholesterol, triglycerides, and HDL levels in healthy young men, with changes similar in magnitude to those seen during 20 minutes of moderate cycling.

Applying electrical stimulation to the thigh muscles for 20 minutes at 50 Hz causes a small, statistically significant change in blood cholesterol levels, similar to the change seen after 20 minutes of moderate cycling.

In healthy young men, a single 20-minute session of electrical stimulation to the quadriceps muscles is linked to a small increase in HDL cholesterol and a small decrease in triglycerides, with changes in the same direction but smaller than those seen after moderate cycling.

When healthy young men receive electrical stimulation to their thigh muscles for 20 minutes, their heart rate rises slightly, but much less than when they cycle at a moderate pace. This means the electrical stimulation puts less strain on the heart compared to cycling.

Electrical stimulation and moderate cycling both change blood lipids and heart rate in the same direction in healthy young men, but the changes are smaller with electrical stimulation, suggesting it triggers similar body responses with less cardiovascular stress.