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Determinants of maximal oxygen uptake in moderate acute hypoxia in endurance athletes

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Abstract

The factors determining maximal oxygen consumption were explored in eight endurance trained subjects (TS) and eight untrained subjects (US) exposed to moderate acute normobaric hypoxia. Subjects performed maximal incremental tests at sea level and simulated altitudes (1,000, 2,500, 4,500 m). Heart rate (HR), stroke volume (SV), cardiac output \({(\dot{{Q}})},\) arterialized oxygen saturation \({(\hbox{Sa}^{\prime}\hbox{O}_2)},\) oxygen uptake \({(\dot{{V}}\hbox{O}_{\rm 2max})},\) ventilation (\({\dot{{V}}{E}},\) expressed in normobaric conditions) were measured. At maximal exercise, ventilatory equivalent \({(\dot{{V}}{E}/\dot{{V}}\hbox{O}_{\rm 2max}),\, \hbox{O}_2}\) transport \({(\dot{{Q}}\hbox{aO}_{\rm 2max})}\) and O2 extraction (O2ERmax) were calculated. In TS, \({\dot{{Q}}_{\rm max}}\) remained unchanged despite a significant reduction in \({\hbox{HR}_{\rm max}}\) at 4,500 m. SVmax remained unchanged. \({\dot{{V}}{E}_{\rm max}}\) decreased in TS at 4,500 m, \({\dot{{V}}{E}/\dot{{V}}\hbox{O}_{\rm 2max}}\) was lower in TS and greater at 4,500 m vs. sea level in both groups. Sa′O2max decreased at and above 1,000 m in TS and 2,500 m in US, O2ERmax increased at 4,500 m in both groups. \({\dot{{Q}}\hbox{aO}_{\rm 2max}}\) decreased with altitude and was greater in TS than US up to 2,500 m but not at 4,500 m. \({\dot{{V}}\hbox{O}_{\rm 2max}}\) decreased with altitude but the decrement \({(\Delta \dot{{V}}\hbox{O}_{\rm 2max})}\) was larger in TS at 4,500 m. In both groups \({\Delta \dot{{V}}\hbox{O}_{\rm 2max}}\) in moderate hypoxia was correlated with \({\Delta \dot{{Q}}\hbox{aO}_{\rm 2max}}.\) Several differences between the two groups are probably responsible for the greater \({\Delta \dot{{V}}\hbox{O}_{\rm 2max}}\) in TS at 4,500 m : (1) the relative hypoventilation in TS as shown by the decrement in \({\dot{{V}}{E}_{\rm max}}\) at 4,500 m (2) the greater \({\dot{{Q}}\hbox{aO}_{\rm 2max}}\) decrement in TS due to a lower Sa′O2max and unchanged \({\dot{{Q}}_{\rm max}}\) 3) the smaller increase in O2ERmax in TS, insufficient to compensate the decrease in \({\dot{{Q}}a\hbox{O}_{\rm 2max}}.\)

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank all the volunteers for their participation in this study and the technicians of the “Service de physiologie, explorations fonctionnelles et médecine du sport” of Avicenne Hospital, Bobigny for their help.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire “Réponses cellulaires et fonctionnelles à l’hypoxie”, Université Paris 13, 74 rue Marcel Cachin, EA2363, ARPE, 93017, Bobigny Cedex, France

    Pascal Mollard, Xavier Woorons, Christine Lamberto, Fabrice Favret, Aurélien Pichon, Michèle Beaudry & Jean-Paul Richalet

  2. AP-HP, Hôpital Avicenne, Service de physiologie, explorations fonctionnelles et médecine du sport, Bobigny, France

    Muriel Letournel, Christine Lamberto & Jean-Paul Richalet

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  1. Pascal Mollard
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  2. Xavier Woorons
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  3. Muriel Letournel
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  4. Christine Lamberto
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  7. Michèle Beaudry
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  8. Jean-Paul Richalet
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Correspondence to Pascal Mollard.

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Mollard, P., Woorons, X., Letournel, M. et al. Determinants of maximal oxygen uptake in moderate acute hypoxia in endurance athletes. Eur J Appl Physiol 100, 663–673 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-007-0457-0

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