title: Effect of fasting after exercise on blood lactate clearance in untrained male volunteers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the effect of fasting immediately after exercise on blood lactate clearance.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was conducted at College of Medicine, Dammam University, KSA. Untrained male volunteers (n = 26) between 18-23 years of age were divided into two equal groups; fasting and non-fasting. After an overnight fasting both groups were made to exercise on a bicycle ergometer starting with 100 watt resistance with 25 watt increment after every 2 minutes until voluntary exhaustion. The fasting group was then asked to continue fasting 30 minutes after exercise, while the non-fasting group was given 600 ml of carbohydrate-rich (about 16g per 100 ml) drink immediately after exercise. We measured the blood lactate level before, immediately after, and 30 minutes after exercise in both the groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A significant (p < 0.001) increase in mean blood lactate level was observed in both the groups immediately after exercise as compared to the baseline means. Similarly there was a significant (p < 0.001) drop of lactate level in both the groups 30 minutes after exercise as compared with the blood lactate level immediately after exercise. There was a significant (p < 0.001) difference between the number of subjects with a blood lactate drop of more than 50% between the two groups (84.61% of subjects in the fasting group, versus 46.15% in the non-fasting group).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fasting after exercise accelerates lactate clearance from blood, probably by utilizing gluconeogenesis pathway.
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, Dammam University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Momen Mohammad Ahmad
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Almomen
authors.forename: Qusai Loay Abdullah
authors.initials: QL
authors.lastname: Alsaleh
authors.forename: Ali Mohammad Ahmad
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Almomen
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Badar
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015444:Exercise; D005080:Exercise Test; D005215:Fasting / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D010154:Pakistan; D014838:Volunteers; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D019344:Lactic Acid