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Effects of negative air ions on oxygen uptake kinetics, recovery and performance in exercise: a randomized, double-blinded study

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Abstract

Limited research has suggested that acute exposure to negatively charged ions may enhance cardio-respiratory function, aerobic metabolism and recovery following exercise. To test the physiological effects of negatively charged air ions, 14 trained males (age: 32 ± 7 years; \( \overset{\cdotp }{V}{\mathrm{O}}_{2 \max } \): 57 ± 7 mL min−1 kg−1) were exposed for 20 min to either a high-concentration of air ions (ION: 220 ± 30 × 103 ions cm−3) or normal room conditions (PLA: 0.1 ± 0.06 × 103 ions cm−3) in an ionization chamber in a double-blinded, randomized order, prior to performing: (1) a bout of severe-intensity cycling exercise for determining the time constant of the phase II \( \overset{\cdotp }{V}{\mathrm{O}}_2 \) response (τ) and the magnitude of the \( \overset{\cdotp }{V}{\mathrm{O}}_2 \) slow component (SC); and (2) a 30-s Wingate test that was preceded by three 30-s Wingate tests to measure plasma [adrenaline] (ADR), [nor-adrenaline] (N-ADR) and blood [lactate] (BLac) over 20 min during recovery in the ionization chamber. There was no difference between ION and PLA for the phase II \( \overset{\cdotp }{V}{\mathrm{O}}_2 \) τ (32 ± 14 s vs. 32 ± 14 s; P = 0.7) or \( \overset{\cdotp }{V}{\mathrm{O}}_2 \) SC (404 ± 214 mL vs 482 ± 217 mL; P = 0.17). No differences between ION and PLA were observed at any time-point for ADR, N-ADR and BLac as well as on peak and mean power output during the Wingate tests (all P > 0.05). A high-concentration of negatively charged air ions had no effect on aerobic metabolism during severe-intensity exercise or on performance or the recovery of the adrenergic and metabolic responses after repeated-sprint exercise in trained athletes.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the commitment of the participants in this study.

Conflict of interest

No conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise, are declared by the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Sports Medicine and Science, Olympic Center, IMSB Austria, Johann Steinboeck Str. 5, 2344, Maria Enzersdorf, Austria

    Alfred Nimmerichter, Johann Holdhaus & Markus Loidl

  2. Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Applied Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg Str. 3, 2700, Wiener Neustadt, Austria

    Alfred Nimmerichter

  3. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Technikum Wien, University of Applied Sciences, Hoechstaedtplatz 5, 1200, Vienna, Austria

    Lars Mehnen

  4. BKW Laboratory Medicine, Davidgasse 87-89, 1100, Vienna, Austria

    Claudia Vidotto

  5. Sport and Health Sciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, St Luke’s Campus, Heavitree Road, Exeter, EX1 2LU, UK

    Alan R. Barker

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  1. Alfred Nimmerichter
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  2. Johann Holdhaus
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  3. Lars Mehnen
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  4. Claudia Vidotto
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  5. Markus Loidl
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  6. Alan R. Barker
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Correspondence to Alfred Nimmerichter.

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Nimmerichter, A., Holdhaus, J., Mehnen, L. et al. Effects of negative air ions on oxygen uptake kinetics, recovery and performance in exercise: a randomized, double-blinded study. Int J Biometeorol 58, 1503–1512 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-013-0754-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-013-0754-8

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