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Potassium kinetics and its relationship with ventilation during repeated bouts of exercise in women

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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the electrolyte concentration changes in arterial plasma from high-intensity repeated bouts of cycling exercise in well-trained females and to determine the relationships between arterial plasma lactate, potassium (K+), bicarbonate (HCO −3 ), and pH with minute ventilation. Fourteen female subjects (mean age = 27 ± 4 years; mean height = 170 ± 7 cm; mean weight = 62 ± 7 kg; maximal oxygen uptake = 50 ± 6 ml/kg/min) were recruited to perform 3 × 5 min bouts of exercise at 236 ± 27 W with 10 min recovery between each set. Minute ventilation, arterial plasma lactate, potassium, calcium, chloride, and sodium ion concentrations were measured a minute 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 of each set and midway through recovery (21 sampling points total per subject). The results showed that the strongest relationship was between arterial plasma K+ concentration and minute ventilation (r 2 = 0.91), and, that arterial plasma lactate mirrored both arterial plasma HCO −3 and pH. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that women exhibit similar electrolyte responses as reported elsewhere in men, and support the idea that K+ may partly contribute to controlling ventilation during high-intensity exercise and recovery.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Lloyd Saul for helping out with the data collection.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesia, McGill University Health Center, Montreal General Hospital, 1650 Cedar Avenue, Room D10-144, H3G 1A4, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Gerald S. Zavorsky, Jennifer Gow & Juan M. Murias

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  1. Gerald S. Zavorsky
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  2. Jennifer Gow
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  3. Juan M. Murias
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Correspondence to Gerald S. Zavorsky.

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Zavorsky, G.S., Gow, J. & Murias, J.M. Potassium kinetics and its relationship with ventilation during repeated bouts of exercise in women. Eur J Appl Physiol 99, 173–181 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-006-0330-6

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