Assessment of Metabolic Flexibility by Means of Measuring Blood Lactate, Fat, and Carbohydrate Oxidation Responses to Exercise in Professional Endurance Athletes and Less-Fit Individuals

Background Increased muscle mitochondrial mass is characteristic of elite professional endurance athletes (PAs), whereas increased blood lactate levels (lactatemia) at the same absolute submaximal exercise intensities and decreased mitochondrial oxidative capacity are characteristics of individuals...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sports medicine (Auckland) 2018-02, Vol.48 (2), p.467-479
Main Authors: San-Millán, Iñigo, Brooks, George A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aerobic capacity
Athletes
Blood levels
Calorimetry
Carbohydrate Metabolism - physiology
Carbohydrates
Diabetes
Endurance
Energy Metabolism - physiology
Exercise
Exercise - physiology
Exercise Test
Fatty acids
Flexibility
Glucose
Humans
Insulin
Lactates - blood
Lactic acid
Lipid Metabolism - physiology
Lipids
Male
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Metabolic syndrome
Mitochondria
Muscles
Musculoskeletal system
Original Research Article
Oxidation
Oxidation-Reduction
Oxygen Consumption
Physical Endurance
Physical fitness
Plasma
Population studies
Sports Medicine
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Summary:Background Increased muscle mitochondrial mass is characteristic of elite professional endurance athletes (PAs), whereas increased blood lactate levels (lactatemia) at the same absolute submaximal exercise intensities and decreased mitochondrial oxidative capacity are characteristics of individuals with low aerobic power. In contrast to PAs, patients with metabolic syndrome (MtS) are characterized by a decreased capacity to oxidize lipids and by early transition from fat to carbohydrate oxidation (FATox/CHOox), as well as elevated blood lactate concentration [La − ] as exercise power output (PO) increases, a condition termed ‘metabolic inflexibility’. Objective The aim of this study was to assess metabolic flexibility across populations with different metabolic characteristics. Methods We used indirect calorimetry and [La − ] measurements to study the metabolic responses to exercise in PAs, moderately active individuals (MAs), and MtS individuals. Results FATox was significantly higher in PAs than MAs and patients with MtS ( p  
ISSN:0112-1642
1179-2035
DOI:10.1007/s40279-017-0751-x