Effect of chronic intermittent hypoxia on exercise adaptations in healthy subjects

Reduced exercise tolerance has been reported in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) patients, although the associated hypertension, obesity and/or metabolic disorder may underlie this reduction. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) in 12 healthy subjects on exercise capacity, cardio-respiratory responses, and substrate oxidation during maximal and sub-maximal exercise. Subjects were exposed to 30 cycles of hypoxia-reoxygenation per hour for 14 nights. Although exercise capacity was unaltered PETCO2 was reduced and V˙E/V˙CO2 increased during both maximal and submaximal exercise tests, indicating a hyperventilatory response. Maximal heart rate was lower and diastolic arterial blood pressure (DBP) was higher in the 1st min of recovery after submaximal exercise. Subjects reached maximal lipid oxidation at a higher power output and had decreased blood lactate for a given power output. This suggests that although the metabolic adaptations to CIH in healthy subjects may improve exercise performance, the cardio-pulmonary modifications are similar to those observed in OSAS patients and could limit exercise capacity.