Effects of Age and Long-Term Endurance Training on VO2 Kinetics

Purpose This study examined the effects of age and training status on the pulmonary oxygen uptake (VO2p) kinetics of untrained and chronically trained young, middle-age, and older groups of men. Methods Breath-by-breath VO2p and near-infrared spectroscopy-derived muscle deoxygenation ([HHb]) were monitored continuously in young (20-39 yr) trained (YT, n = 8) and untrained (YuT, n = 8), middle-age (40-59 yr) trained (MT, n = 9) and untrained (MuT, n = 9), and older (60-85 yr) trained (OT, n = 9) and untrained (OuT, n = 8) men. On-transient VO2p and [HHb] responses to cycling exercise at 80% of the estimated lactate threshold (three repeats) were modeled as monoexponential. Data were scaled to a relative percentage of the response (0%-100%), the signals time aligned, and the individual [HHb]-to-VO2p ratio was calculated as the average [HHb]/VO2 during the 20- to 120-s period after exercise onset. Results The time constant for the adjustment of phase II pulmonary VO2 (VO2p) was larger in OuT (42.0 11.3 s) compared with that in YT (17.0 +/- 7.5 s), MT (18.1 +/- 5.3 s), OT (19.8 +/- 5.4 s), YuT (25.7 +/- 6.6 s), and MuT (24.4 +/- 7.4 s) (P < 0.05). Similarly, the [HHb]/VO2 ratio was larger than 1.0 in OuT (1.30 +/- 0.13, P < 0.05) and this value was larger than that observed in YT (1.01 +/- 0.07), MT (1.04 +/- 0.05), OT (1.04 +/- 0.04), YuT (1.05 +/- 0.03), and MuT (1.02 +/- 0.09) (P < 0.05). Conclusions This study showed that the slower VO2 kinetics typically observed in older individuals can be prevented by long-term endurance training interventions. Although the role of O-2 delivery relative to peripheral use cannot be elucidated from the current measures, the absence of age-related slowing of VO2 kinetics seems to be partly related to a preservation of the matching of O-2 delivery to O-2 utilization in chronically trained older individuals, as suggested by the reduction in the [HHb]/VO2 ratio.