Summary
Seven healthy male subjects exercised to exhaustion at a workload equivalent to 100% of their maximal oxygen uptake (\(\dot V_{O_{2\max } }\)) on 3 separate occasions. Each high intensity exercise test was performed on an electrically braked cycle ergometer; the first took place after a normal diet (46±8% carbohydrate (CHO), 41±7% fat and 13±3% protein); the second after 3 days of a low CHO diet (7±3% CHO, 64±5% fat and 29±4% protein) and the third after 3 days of a high CHO diet (76±6% CHO, 14±5% fat and 10±2% protein). Acid-base status and selected metabolites were measured on arterialised venous blood at rest prior to exercise and during the post-exercise period. Plasma urea concentration and urine total acidity were measured on each day of the experiment. Exercise time to exhaustion was longer after the normal (p<0.05) and high (p<0.01) CHO diets compared with the low CHO diet. Pre-exercise plasma bicarbonate concentration and blood \({\text{P}}_{{\text{CO}}_{\text{2}} }\) were higher after the high CHO diet when compared with the normal (p=0.05, p<0.05 respectively) and low CHO conditions (p<0.05, p<0.05 respectively). Pre-exercise bicarbonate was also higher after the normal CHO diet when compared with the low CHO diet (p<0.05). Mean dietary acid intake for each 3 day period of dietary variation and plasma urea immediately prior to exercise were lower after the high CHO diet when compared to both normal (p<0.01, p<0.01) and low (p<0.01, p<0.001) CHO diets. They were also lower (p<0.01, p<0.01) after the normal when compared with the low CHO diet. Urine total acidity was higher after the low CHO diet when compared with both the normal (p<0.01) and high CHO (p<0.01) diets and near significance was found (p<0.06) when comparing the normal and high CHO diets. The present exsuggests that dietary variation alone can significantly affect the acid-base balance of the blood and may thereby influence endurance time during high intensity exercise.
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Greenhaff, P.L., Gleeson, M., Whiting, P.H. et al. Dietary composition and acid-base status: limiting factors in the performance of maximal exercise in man?. Europ. J. Appl. Physiol. 56, 444–450 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00417773
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00417773