title: Ventilation parallels plasma potassium during incremental and continuous variable intensity exercise.
abstract: The aim of the present investigation was to examine the relationship between plasma potassium (K+) and ventilation (VE) during incremental and prolonged continuous exercise which varied between low and moderate intensity. Seven well-trained male cyclists who had a mean maximal aerobic power (VO2max) of 69.4 +/- 2.9 ml/kg/min were recruited to participate as subjects. The graded incremental exercise bout was composed of 3 min stages set to elicit 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90% VO2max. The continuous variable intensity exercise consisted of 30 min of cycling at 45% VO2max and then 6 x 16 min periods which consisted of cycling for 8 min at 75% VO2max and 8 min at 45% VO2max. During prolonged continuous exercise, VE and plasma K+ changed in a coordinated manner between the low and moderate intensity exercise bouts with the responses during the moderate intensity intervals being significantly greater (p < 0.05) than the responses during the low intensity intervals. During the incremental exercise test, a strong positive relationship between VE and plasma K+ concentration was found for each subject. However, a positive relationship and slope was also found when the VE/K+ ratio was correlated with exercise intensity (r = 0.90-0.99). This indicates that with increasing exercise intensity, the rise in VE becomes increasingly greater than the rise in plasma K+. These findings suggest that the plasma K+ concentration contributes to but may not be the sole determinant of ventilatory regulation during exercise.
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology, University of Texas at Austin 78712.
authors.forename: B B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Yaspelkis
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Anderla
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Patterson
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Ivy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000502:physiology; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology; D011188:Potassium / Q000097:blood*; D012119:Respiration / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D011188:Potassium