Lactate accumulation during exercise - the influence of body fluid shifts

Date
1998
Authors
Castleman, Barbara Ann
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Abstract
During graded exercise, an intensity is reached where a subjects ability to remove Lactate lags behind the rate of lactate production. The influence of body fluid shifts, during exercise of increasing intensity, on the pattern of the blood lactate response was studied. The maximal oxygen uptake (V02 max) was measured using a treadmill, on eleven subjects. Subsequently, lactate accumulation in venous blood was measured, in triplicate, up to an oxygen consumption greater than 90% V02max. During all exercise , oxygen consumption was measured using an online system. In addition, the blood samples at each workload were used to determine haematocrit (Hct) and haemoglobin (Hb) levels. The Hct and Hb values were used to calculate lactate accumulation (corrected for body fluid shifts) as opposed to the absolute or total lactate levels. The correction for body fluid shifts was done using two techniques. The one using haematocrit only and the other using both haematocrit and haemoglobin. The total and accumulated lactate levels were related to %VO~max using two different models. Firstly, a lactate threshold (LT) was determined using the classic lactate turning point (LTP) concept, (ie. two straight lines fitted to the data points). These lines were computer generated. The intercept of the two lines (LT) was compared for total lactate against accumulated lactate (calculated using Hct alone and secondly Hct in combination with hb. In the latter cases, both the LT intercepts were shifted slightly to the right (ie. to a higher % of V02max). The average difference in LT when adjusting with Hb and Hct was 0,519 of %V02max (0,72% change) and when adjusting with Hct only was 1,17 of %V02 max (1,65% change). Secondly, an exponential curve Was fitted by regression to the data (r-0.989+/-0.018). A substantial shift in the curve, both down and to the right, was obtained when adjusting total lactate to accumulated lactate. the %V02 max at a lactate concentration of 4mmo1/1 was used to define the position of the curve. The difference when using Hct alone to calculate accumulated lactate corrected for fluid shift was - 9,20% of V02max (p<0.05), and when using Hb and Hct in combination, -8,71% of V02max (p<O.05). It is concluded that expressing the lactate curve as an accumulated curve (corrected for body fluid shifts), rather than in absolute terms, significantly alters the construction of the curve during the exercise protocol used in this study. This is especially relevant when using the exponential model.
Description
A research report submitted to the Faculty of Medirine, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg in partial fulfilment of the degree of M.Sc. (Med). October 1998.
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Citation
Castleman, Barbara Ann (1998) Lactate accumulation during exercise - the influence of body fluid shifts, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, <http://wiredspace.wits.ac.za/handle/10539/22104>
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