title: Effect of work load on cutaneous vascular response to exercise.
abstract: The purpose of the present study was to examine whether intensity of exercise affects skin blood flow response to exercise. For this purpose, six healthy men cycled, in a random order on different days, for 15 min at 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90% of their maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max) at a room temperature of 25 degrees C. At the end of exercise, esophageal temperature (Tes) averaged 37.4 +/- 0.2, 37.7 +/- 0.2, 37.9 +/- 0.2, 38.6 +/- 0.3, and 38.9 +/- 0.4 degrees C (SE) at the 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90% work loads, respectively. At the two highest work loads, no steady state was observed in Tes. Skin blood flow was estimated by measuring forearm blood flow (FBF) with strain-gauge plethysmography and by laser-Doppler flowmetry on the upper back. Both techniques showed that skin blood flow response to rising Tes was markedly reduced at the 90% work load compared with other work loads. At the end of exercise, FBF averaged 7.5 +/- 1.7, 10.7 +/- 3.1, 9.6 +/- 2.1, 11.3 +/- 2.6, and 5.4 +/- 1.3 (SE) ml.min-1.100 ml-1 (P less than 0.01) at the 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90% VO2max work loads, respectively. The corresponding values for Tes threshold for cutaneous vasodilation (FBF) were 37.42 +/- 0.16, 37.48 +/- 0.13, 37.59 +/- 0.13, 37.79 +/- 0.19, and 38.20 +/- 0.22 degrees C (P less than 0.05) at 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90% VO2max, respectively. In two subjects, no cutaneous vasodilation was observed at the 90% work load.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Institute of Occupational Health, Vantaa, Finland.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Smolander
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Saalo
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Korhonen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001831:Body Temperature / Q000502:physiology; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005080:Exercise Test; D005542:Forearm / Q000098:blood supply; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology; D010991:Plethysmography; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D012867:Skin / Q000098:blood supply*; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000502:physiology